MALINDZA – Two babies died just after birth, one allegedly by strangulation by her mother, while the other reportedly fell into a pit latrine last week. The incidents happened in the Lubombo Region. At Mayaluka, under Malindza Umphakatsi, a 20-year-old woman, *Suzan, gave birth and is suspected to have killed her baby by strangulation. Suzan has been arrested and is expected to appear at Siteki Magistrates Court today. According to her mother, she received a call from a neighbour on Wednesday night at around 10pm, who informed her that she suspected her daughter had given birth, but the baby did not survive. The mother said she was away at Lomahasha when she decided to call her son, who was in another house within the homestead.
Sleeping
She also shared that her daughter was sleeping alone when she gave birth to the baby, who was certified dead at Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital. She stated that her daughter and the lifeless body of the baby were taken by the police to the hospital. Narrating how she found out that her daughter was pregnant, the mother mentioned that it was on January 28, 2025, when she went to look for a place for her son at a local school, that her elder son told her that her sister was pregnant.
She said she confronted her, and her daughter denied that she was pregnant. The mother said her daughter’s first child, who is two years old, was fathered by a herdboy. She stated that her daughter became pregnant with her first child when she was in Form III. “I forced her to finish that year, and she passed Form IV, but failed to continue to the next class as I had no money to pay for her school fees. Her father died when she was 10 months old,” she said.
Adding, Suzan’s mother said she left her daughter and her siblings and went to Lomahasha to check on her children on Monday. She highlighted that her daughter had hinted to her that she wanted to go and look for a job. The mother shared that in August last year, her daughter went to stay with her elder sister in Matsapha and returned home in November.
She described her daughter as a quiet person who was not open to her siblings when confronted with problems.
She said her daughter was 17 years old when she gave birth to her first child.
“Even with the first child, she did not inform anyone, even when she delivered the baby. She was a reserved and quiet person, even to me as her mother. This is her second baby, but unfortunately, the baby died,” the mother said.
Problems
Asked what could have prompted her daughter to commit such an act, she said her child had problems like any other child, but was secretive in sharing them with anyone. She further stated that she had been informed that her daughter’s boyfriend had fled and left the country. The mother mentioned that she relayed information to the boyfriend’s family about what had happened, and they informed her that he had left and gone to South Africa.
“I don’t know if he had misunderstandings with my daughter before he left the country, as the police were also informed about him,” she narrated. When asked if she had a moment to ask her daughter what happened, the mother mentioned that she denied having committed the crime. She said when she searched for clues inside the house, she discovered that her T-shirt was allegedly used to wrap the child after she was born.
Traumatised
Furthermore, she elaborated and stated that she was still traumatised by the incident. “It has not happened before; those thoughts of being suicidal are on my mind. I don’t know what came into my child’s mind to do such a thing without even involving her friends or brothers and sisters. Even my neighbour shared that she did not suspect that my daughter was pregnant,” she added. Meanwhile, At Mafucula, a 26-year-old woman, *Thandi, of Shewula, reportedly gave birth while inside a pit latrine within a Maziya homestead, where she was employed as a maid.
Thandi’s employer said he had hired her to look after her sickly mother. The employer told this publication that he discovered that Thandi was pregnant and told her that he would need her services after she had given birth. He stated that Thandi asked for money and said she would perform her duties without any problem. According to the employer, Thandi started working at his homestead on February 4, 2025. “She came with a one-year-old son to stay with him. She told me that she had another child who was 10 years old,” he said. Sharing what happened on Wednesday morning, the employer said Thandi asked to have an audience with him, and he requested the presence of his mother as well.
He shared that Thandi was holding her son and told him that during the night, she had a running stomach, and when she relieved herself, she miscarried the baby, who fell into the pit latrine. He said they suspected that something was amiss and interrogated her further. He stated that he asked to search her bags and discovered that her clinic card for the child had different information than what she shared with the family about her pregnancy.
“We found out that she was nine months pregnant. We then called the police and Fire personnel to retrieve the child,” he said. He said the police took the foetus and Thandi to hospital. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said the police are still investigating the circumstances leading to the deaths of the two newborn babies in both communities. Meanwhile, in October 2020, two pupils made a shocking discovery of a newborn that was dumped in a small bush in Nhlangano town, and it was suspected that the baby girl may have been dumped by her mother.
* Not real names to protect identity.
