A pregnant 20-year-old woman in Alexandra’s Setwetla informal settlement, who tried to commit suicide after killing her two-year-old child, has been denied bail.
This was after appearing in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on a charge of murder. According to Alex police spokesperson Warrant Officer Moses Maphakela, the woman was denied bail on the grounds that she was mentally unstable and not fit for bail.
She was remanded in custody at the Sun City prison. It is understood that she might have not been able to cope after her boyfriend, who was the prime provider for the family, was killed in a car accident. The pressure of coping with the family requirements after the death of the breadwinner is believed to have been a major contributor in her attempt to take her own life as well as taking that of her baby.
The court is said to have ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the woman which should be presented in her next court appearance. The woman allegedly poisoned her baby and later herself in an apparent suicide attempt.
She was rushed to hospital under police guard where doctors battled to save her unborn child. The foetus was removed and declared dead.
Related article: Woman tries to commit suicide after killing two-year-old baby
