Tonga - An Mpumalanga magistrate on Tuesday told a Swazi mother accused of dumping her newborn baby in a pit toilet that she was free to chew muti in court, but not bubblegum.
Delisiwe Mahlalela, 20, originally from Swaziland but residing in KaMhlushwa outside Malalane, was not asked to plead to a charge of attempted murder when she appeared in the Tonga Regional Court on Tuesday, a Sapa correspondent reported.
Before proceedings, magistrate Edgar Moletsane reprimanded Mahlalela for chewing noisily while she was in the court box.
“What are you chewing Mahlalela? If that is muti continue chewing it, but if it's bubblegum please remove it now before I proceed with your case,” Moletsane said.
Mahlalela then spat out her bubblegum.
She was arrested on November 4, 2013, after neighbours heard a child crying in her neighbour's pit toilet and reported the matter to the police.
Previously prosecutor Eugene Mathebula read in court that Mahlalela dumped her newborn baby in the toilet and went to work the following morning.
Moletsane extended Mahlalela's R500 bail and postponed the case to November 4 for trial.
Sapa