KZN baby found in shallow grave: Parents said to have been drunk
The mother, allegedly compelled by threats from the father to keep quiet, eventually sought help from her family and the police.
The body of a five-month-old baby boy was discovered in a shallow grave at Mpongompongweni in KwaDukuza, KZN, on Saturday. Police unearthed the body near a pit toilet.
According to iLembe cluster police spokesperson Captain Alex Thomson, the baby’s parents were allegedly intoxicated when the child died a week earlier and they buried him.
“An inquest docket has been opened and a postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Detectives are investigating the case to bring those involved to justice,” says Thomson.
He adds the baby’s mother allegedly woke up and was informed by the father that the baby had passed away.
The father reportedly coerced the mother into helping bury the baby near a local river, but they lacked the appropriate tools to dig a grave and returned home with the body.
The father is said to have then sought the assistance of a friend to bury the child near a pit toilet close to their home.
It is alleged the father then threatened the mother to keep silent about the incident.
However, she sought help from her family and reported the matter to the police.
A separate incident
This comes after a newborn baby was found dead in a pit latrine in Maphumulo in January.
It is believed a 16-year-old girl concealed her pregnancy and disposed of the newborn in an abandoned 2m-deep pit latrine in her neighbour’s yard.
The infant was reportedly placed in a plastic bag before being dropped down the latrine.
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