Limpopo Mother Allegedly Kills and Dumps Body of 12-Day-Old Daughter

• A Limpopo village is in mourning after the death of a 12-day-old infant girl, police told Briefly News
• The baby's 21-year-old mother, from Tshitavha, was arrested in connection with the infant's death
• In an interview with Briefly News, the alleged killer’s neighbour shared her emotional reaction to the baby's murder

A 21-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly murdering her 12-day-old daughter in Tshitavha village on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba told Briefly News.

According to Mashaba, the 21-year-old suspect strangled her infant daughter to death and then threw her lifeless body inside a pit toilet.

How the ordeal transpired

Mashaba said the baby was asleep in their family home when the infant's grandmother informed the suspect (the 21-year-old mother) that she was going to irrigate the crops in the fields near their home. The baby's grandmother spent an hour in the fields before she returned home.

“Upon arriving at home, the grandmother found the suspect sitting on the chair inside a one roomed house and asked her to wake up the toddler and breastfeed her.

"But the 21-year-old woman responded that the 12-day-old baby had fallen inside a pit toilet, which the grandmother thought was a joke at first,” Mashaba said.

When the grandmother realised that the 21-year-old suspect was not joking, she immediately requested help from her neighbours to rescue the baby from the pit toilet.

“The local, police together with members of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), were called to the scene and certified the baby dead upon their arrival,” Mashaba said.

The officer told Briefly News that the mother confessed that she strangled her baby and later dumped her body.

Neighbours in disbelief

The suspect's neighbour, Mavis Mulaudzi, is battling to understand what the mother was thinking at the time or what went wrong:

"If she had problems, she should have informed her mother or even us as her neighbours and we would have helped her,” Mulaudzi added.

Mulaudzi told Briefly News she was yet to see the 12-day-old baby, but was told the infant was perfectly healthy.

“According to our culture, neighbours are not allowed to see a child before he or she turns a month old.

"I was still looking forward to meeting the little girl. It's a pity that will never happen as her life was cut very short by her own mother.

"What she did is so painful and no one deserves to die that way, especially at the hands of your own mother,” said Mulaudzi.

Mashaba said the motive of the incident is currently unknown, but the suspect will appear before the Dzanani Magistrate's Court soon on a murder charge.

Attempts to get comments from the 12-day-old baby's grandmother failed, as she requested more time to process what transpired.

24-Hour mental health helplines in South Africa

If you suspect you, or someone you know, is suffering from depression or anxiety and may harm yourself or someone else, visit the South African Depression and Anxiety Group or use any of these 24-hour free helplines:

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0800 567 567
• Department of Social Development Substance Abuse Helpline: 0800 12 13 14 / SMS 32312
• Cipla Mental Health Helpline: 0800 456 789 / SMS 31393
• NPOwer SA Helpline: 0800 515 515 / SMS 43010
• Healthcare Workers Care Network Helpline: 0800 21 21 21 / SMS 43001
• UFS #Fair Kitchens Chefs Helpline: 0800 006 333
• Dr Reddy’s Mental Health Helpline: 0800 21 22 23
• Adcock Ingram Depression & Anxiety Helpline: 0800 70 80 90
• ADHD Helpline: 0800 55 44 33
• Pharma Dynamics Police & Trauma Helpline: 0800 20 50 26

South Africans angered after baby dumped in a drain

In March 2025, Briefly News reported that a fully developed baby was dumped in a stormwater drain in the Mandela Section of eMbalenhle, a township in Govan Mbeki Local Municipality.

The tiny body was discovered by a community member on 2 March 2025. The community member then alerted paramedics.

The incident angered many South Africans who tried to make sense of the situation.

Proofreading by Rianette Cluley, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News