5YRS FOR ABANDONING BABY FOR DRINKING SPREE

MANZINI - A young woman who abandoned her four-month-old baby, only to be found 11 days later at a drinking spot, will now spend five years in prison.
Sihlelelwe Dlamini, who was sentenced by Manzini Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi, was found guilty of abandoning her child at Ngwane Park on December 31. She was charged with contravening Section 48 (1) of the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act 2012. Dlamini was given a five-year sentence without an option to pay a fine. During the trial, Dlamini explained that she had left her baby boy with a woman at Ngwane Park around 8am on the day in question. She said she had intended to go to Matsapha to find money from a friend. However, when she arrived, her friend had no money. Dlamini said instead of returning home, where she had been chased away, or going back to Ngwane Park, where her sister had also turned her away, she decided to stay with another friend. She claimed that she could not return for her baby because the friend who had offered her a place to stay in Matsapha did not want the noise of a child in their house.

Dlamini further explained that her father had kicked her out after learning she was pregnant, and her sister had taken her in at Ngwane Park, but had eventually also forced her to leave. She admitted that she felt she was burdensome to her sister, making communication difficult towards her sister. At this point, Crown Prosecutor Mlindi Mthethwa intervened, pointing out that Dlamini had been found with men 11 days after abandoning her child, at a drinking spot in Matsapha. It was then that Dlamini confessed that she had been drinking alcohol when the police found her. She claimed that she thought the baby was still with the woman she had left him with. Dlamini apologised to the court and asked for a lenient sentence. However, Mthethwa submitted that the charges Dlamini faced, under Section 48(1) of the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act, warranted a custodial sentence.

Exposes

He mentioned that the law stipulates that anyone who neglects, abandons or exposes a child in a way that could cause harm is liable to a sentence of at least five years in prison.
“The Crown submits that the court should consider a sentence of imprisonment. The evidence before this court indicates that there is a psychological and physical issue that needs to be addressed. The accused appears to be someone who is out of touch with reality. She left her baby for 11 days, showing no remorse. Instead, she was found drinking alcohol with men, having left her child behind as though it were nothing more than a package,” Mthethwa said. The Crown went on to suggest that imprisonment could offer Dlamini the chance to receive the care and rehabilitation she clearly needed. He said that, during her time in prison, she would have the opportunity to bond with her child, and might return a changed person. Before delivering the sentence, Magistrate Msibi condemned Dlamini’s actions, stating that her behaviour showed a lack of care and responsibility. “This is a human life you are playing with, and he is just four months old. It was your choice to have this baby, and it is your responsibility to care for him, not to treat him as if he were a toy. You will spend five years in prison, and there will be no option to pay a fine.”

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: