A Philippi mother accused of poisoning her two daughters intends to enter into a plea bargain with the State, the Western Cape High Court has heard.
Pamela Somkence, 29, has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
It is the State’s case that she allegedly mixed rat poison into her daughters’ fruit juice in October 2010, then attempted to commit suicide by drinking the deadly cocktail.
Thimna, eight, survived, but eight-month-old Ichume died.
Somkence first appeared in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court before the case was transferred to the high court.
On Friday, she appeared before Cape Judge President John Hlophe for a pre-trial conference, which was held to assess the defence’s and State’s readiness for trial.
However, it emerged that a trial may not go ahead because the parties were negotiating a plea bargain.
Prosecutor Susan Galloway told Judge Hlophe the parties were unable to finalise the plea bargain until the State received a report from a social worker.
Such a report is necessary because Somkence, the mother of a minor child, is facing imprisonment.
Galloway requested a postponement for a further pre-trial conference so that the State could check the social worker’s report before finalising the matter.
Somkence is to appear in the high court again on April 13.
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