Monday 14 March 2011

FILICIDE: South Africa: Mapaseka Seoka

Judge warns mom who killed her child - 'Don't kill your other baby'

Mar 9, 2011 | Mfundekelwa Mkhulisi Court allows her to go home on this condition

 I killed my daughter because my baby's dad 'fell in love with another woman' 

FOUR years after a 28-year-old woman stabbed her nine-day-old daughter to death, she described to the court how she did it.
Mapaseka Seoka told the Veereniging regional court that on August 18 2008 she took her daughter to an open veld, put her on the ground and stabbed her.
"I took her to an open veld in Newclare. On arrival I stabbed the deceased with an intention to kill her. I stabbed her next to the ribs with a pair of scissors," she said in a statement read by her lawyer.
Seoka said she could not remember how many times she stabbed her daughter, Ditlhoriso.
"I then put her body in a plastic bag and dumped it in a bucket."
She then left the scene.
Seoka was originally charged with killing two children, her 14-month-old son Lebohang and nine-day-old baby Ditlhoriso.
The first child was killed on August 17 and the baby was murdered the following day.
Yesterday Seoka only pleaded guilty to killing Ditlhoriso. Charges against her for the murder of Lebohang were provisionally withdrawn pending further investigation.
She said the reason she killed her daughter was that she was unemployed and frustrated by the baby's father.
"Since I gave birth the father of the child did not maintain her. He also fell in love with another woman. That frustrated me," she said.
Seoka said she was sorry for her actions.
Judge Boisie Mbha found her guilty of the murder of Ditlhoriso.
Seoka has since given birth to another child -- an 18-month-old baby girl born when she was out on bail for the murder of the first two children.
Prosecutor J Jacobs said the state did not have enough evidence to prove that Seoka also killed her son.
Mbha said he was worried about extending Seoka's bail of R1,000 because "she might harm her 18-month-old baby".
"Ordinarily if you are found guilty, bail is cancelled. But I was thinking of extending your bail until the case was finalised because you have a baby. But my concern is that you have been found guilty of murdering a child. I am worried about the safety of the child."
The judge asked Seoka's mother and her brother to give him the assurance that the baby would not be harmed.
The case was postponed to March 31 for a probation officer to assess Seoka.
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/03/09/judge-warns-mom-who-killed-her-child---don-t-kill-your-other-baby

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