Durban - A mother, who together with her ex-husband was charged with the murder of her infant son, hanged herself in her boyfriend's Port Edward flat, the Beeld newspaper reported on Monday.
Juanita Fourie, 28, and Christiaan Oldewage, 27, had previously been charged in the Pretoria High Court in connection with child abuse and the death of Christiaan Junior, their three-and-a-half-week-old baby boy.
He died of multiple injuries, including a skull fracture and broken ribs in December 2011.
According to Beeld, Fourie was treated in hospital eight days ago after she cut her wrists in front of her boyfriend, Tobie la Grange, 32.
Fourie moved to Port Edward seven months ago and worked for La Grange as a bookkeeper at his liquor store.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said Fourie had hanged herself with a piece of cord.
Fourie did not arrive on July 30 for the first day of her and Oldewage's trial, because she was apparently not psychologically fit to testify.
The State's request that Fourie be referred to the Weskoppies psychiatric hospital for observation was dismissed.
Oldewage, the baby's stepfather, is still in custody.
The trial was earlier postponed to December 2. - Sapa