Durban - A 45-year-old Ballito woman who allegedly drowned her toddler daughter in a bucket of water in April 2022 made another appearance in court this week.
The woman who cannot be named because she has another minor child, appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Facing a charge of murder, the court heard the woman is expected to report to Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg on November 29 for a psychiatric evaluation, following her court appearance.
The State has been waiting for an available bed at Fort Napier.
At the time of the incident, provincial police spokesperson Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the mother allegedly told police that the child was difficult and troubling her and she decided to drown the child in a bucket of water until she stopped moving.
She said the child’s hands were tied with tape.
The woman was arrested shortly after the murder by Detective Warrant Officer Bob Pillay from the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
A month after the killing, the mother was expected to plead guilty and subsequently changed her mind.
She is being held at the Westville Prison as an awaiting trial prisoner.
In a separate incident, a Durban mother was charged with murder for allegedly killing her toddler daughter with a rolling pin in June last year.
On arrival, police found the body of a three-year-old girl with strangulation marks. It is alleged that the mother also assaulted the victim with a wood rolling pin on the face and head.
IOL