Byline: Thendo Funyufunyu

Friday, 03 March 2023

A terrible father from Middleplaas, outside of Malelane, who is 21 years old, made a mistake in his calculations when he sliced the throat of his three-week-old kid and believed he would easily get away with it on Wednesday, 01 March 2023.

It is alleged that the suspect who was in company of his four friends forcefully snatched the baby boy from his 15-year-old mother.

As they began their own search and hoped the infant was safe in his father’s care, the alarmed mother and her family were unable to call the police right away.

They ultimately reported the incident to Schoemansdal SAPS yesterday morning, Thursday, 02 March 2023, as the dawn broke without any indication of the child’s return, and they began to think something nefarious might have happened to the child.

Police immediately launched a manhunt with the aim of reuniting the little boy with his mother.

According to information gathered, the child’s dead body was discovered in the bushes not far from a water reservoir and a diesel depot in Middleplaas.

The child was found wrapped with a bloody blanket and a towel; his throat cut open.

As the investigation progressed, it was learned that the suspect had arrived with a bag full of clothes at his uncle’s house at Kamaqhekeza, outside of Komatipoort.

The Schoemansdal police investigated the alibi right away. The suspect was apprehended after being discovered inside his uncle’s home on Thursday, 02 March 2023.

He will be charged with kidnapping, murder and defeating the ends of justice. Considering the age of the child’s mother, statutory rape charge will be added. He is expected to appear in Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court in Tonga soon.

Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, the acting Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, passionately denounced the brutal murder, gender-based violence, and the suspect’s callous behavior. He is confident that the child will receive justice.

He continued by advising locals to use all available channels to contact the police for aid when someone’s life is in risk.