Mom arrested for burying newborn alive

A 23-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly burying her newborn baby alive in a shallow grave in the Bolata Village.

Pretoria - A 23-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly burying her newborn baby alive in a shallow grave in the yard of her in-laws in the Bolata Village, in Phuthaditjhaba, Free State police said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson sergeant Mmako Mophiring said that on Tuesday her mother-in-law noticed that the woman was not pregnant anymore.

“It is alleged that on August 2 the mother-in-law of the suspect was at the toilet when she noticed a placenta inside. She confronted her daughter-in-law who was pregnant and she confessed then pointed out where she had buried the baby,” Mophiring said.

“She dug up a plastic bag containing the body of a new born baby girl. It was discovered that she gave birth on July 30, inside the house and wrapped the new born in a plastic then buried her in a shallow grave and kept quiet.”

The police were alerted and the woman was arrested. She is expected to appear in the Tseki Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, facing a charge of concealment of birth.

African News Agency