Limpopo mother arrested for murder after fatally assaulting infant

According to Limpopo police, the 42-year-old woman allegedly locked herself and her 11-month-old baby inside a hut, and started hitting the child.

PRETORIA, May 31 (ANA) – A woman in Limpopo has been arrested after allegedly fatally assaulting her 11-month-old baby at the weekend, police in the South African province said.

The 42-year-old woman reportedly locked herself and the infant inside a hut, and started hitting the child. Community members came to the boy’s rescue, but were too late to prevent his death, police said in a statement.

“Community members reportedly heard the frantic cries of the baby and rushed to the house. After realising that the door was locked, they then broke [down the door], opened it and rescued the badly injured baby from the mother,” the statement said.

The baby was rushed to the local Lambani clinic but was declared dead on arrival.

As anger boiled in the Halambani Tswinganani village under the Tshaulu policing area over the incident, Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe urged residents to desist from taking the law into their own hands, but rather to allow it to take its course.

“This (interfering with the law) would make them criminally liable. (Residents) must instead give the police space to legally deal with this gruesome incident,” said Hadebe.

The motive for the incident has not yet been ascertained, but police in Limpopo said domestic violence could not be ruled out as a cause.

They said the infant’s mother had been arrested on a charge of murder and investigations were under way.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa