Times Of Swaziland: HOW I KILLED, DUMPED BABY IN PIT LATRINE  - MOTHER

HOW I KILLED, DUMPED BABY IN PIT LATRINE  - MOTHER
================================================================================
Phiwase Phungwayo on 05/11/2024 09:12:00


MANZINI – A chilling tale of a mother’s cruelty unfolded in court  
yesterday as a woman confessed to the horrific murder of her one-month-old baby.
The accused, Zinhle Gugulethu Sihlongonyane (26), appeared at the Manzini
Magistrates Court, facing a charge of murder. According to the prosecution, the
accused allegedly first suffocated her infant child by blocking the nostrils
with her jacket until blood began to flow. The gruesome act was followed by the
heartless disposal of the innocent life.
Unidentified
The accused is alleged to have then proceeded to an unidentified homestead,
where she callously dumped the lifeless body of her child into a pit latrine. In
a shocking twist, the accused reportedly attempted to deceive her mother by
falsely claiming that she had given the baby to a caucasian couple. This
elaborate lie was meant to conceal the heinous crime she had committed.Narrating
the events leading to the incident, it was revealed that on the morning of
Wednesday, October 30, Sihlongonyane told her mother she was going to the clinic
at Lobamba. She left home with her child and, upon arriving at the clinic,
received her medication.
After that, she proceeded to Mashibhini at Lobamba to visit a friend, but found
that her friend was not at home. Deciding to see her another day, she boarded a
kombi and returned home.
At Mahlanya, she got off to buy some items. Later, she boarded another kombi and
alighted at Hamsi. From there, she received a lift that dropped her off at a
waiting room at KaGcina.
While sitting in the waiting room with her child, she reflected on how the
child’s father had abandoned her when she was two months pregnant.
Promised
“Ever since, he has never come to see her. Whenever she spoke to him on the
phone, he promised to send money, but not once did he ever do so,” a source
shared. Desperate to find a solution to her predicament, the mother allegedly
decided to take the life of her child. It is said that she dressed the child in
a pink jacket with a hood, which she then used to smother the baby’s nostrils
for approximately five minutes. When she removed the hood from the infant’s
face, she noticed blood seeping from the nostrils, which stained both her hands
and clothing.
With the child now deceased, the mother allegedly turned her attention to
concealing the evidence of her crime. According to reports, she spotted a
homestead adjacent to the waiting room and rushed there, hoping to find a place
to dispose of the body.
She allegedly resorted to dropping the lifeless body of her child into the pit
latrine on the homestead’s property. It is reported that Sihlongonyane’s
mother called to check on them, and she told her that she had given the baby to
the caucasian couple. It is believed that the mother did not believe her. The
mother then stated that she would call the police and that her daughter would be
arrested, but she did not receive a response. Eventually, the daughter
acknowledged that she was aware of the possibility of being arrested. She left
the house for a while, and upon her return, she found her mother on the phone
with the police, providing them with directions to the homestead.
She then went outside, and when she came back, she discovered police officers
waiting for her. It is said that the police enquired about the baby, and both
the woman and her mother provided statements. Consequently, they both boarded a
police van and were taken to Matsapha Police Station at Sigodvweni, where the
police launched a further investigation. Subsequently, the baby’s body was
discovered at the specified homestead and retrieved.As the legal process
unfolds, the community awaits justice for the innocent child. The accused is
expected to face severe consequences for her actions, serving as a stark
reminder of the value of human life and the devastating impact of violence.