Durban - One of the women charged with the murder of 9-year-old Shahiel Sewpujun is “mentally ill” and has “suicidal tendencies”.
Shahiel’s body was found in a manhole in Charclay Gardens, Phoenix, on February 8 this year, three days after he was reported missing.
According to the State, both women, who are Shahiel’s relatives, had allegedly made confessions to the police, but the motive for the premeditated murder has not been disclosed.
The women were apparently admitted to hospital after alleged botched suicide attempts a day before Shahiel’s body was found.
On Tuesday Kavitha Naicker and her mother, Rajwanthie Haripersadh, were meant to receive indictments for the case against them to proceed to the high court.
However, attorney Denver Reddy, acting for the two, made an application for Naicker to be sent for psychiatric observation at Fort Napier hospital.
He also told the court that Naicker and Haripersadh had been taken by the investigating team to the Durban High Court on March 19 without his knowledge, to consult.
He said during consultations with legal aid attorney Pregasen Marimuthu at the high court it emerged that Naicker had been an outpatient at Mahatma Gandhi psychiatric unit since 2010 and had been given medication which she was not taking.
He added that it was very difficult to communicate with her to take proper instructions.
Earlier in the case, both women had abandoned their bail applications.
Prosecutor Bathokozile Zikalala said the investigating officer had taken the women to the high court as he had been acting on the instructions of an advocate from the office of the director of public prosecutions.
She also told the court the State had no objection to Naicker’s being sent for mental observation and there was a bed available at Fort Napier on September 1.
The case was adjourned to next month and the women were remanded.
The Mercury