Limpopo - A desperate bid to save a foetus whose mother had been stabbed to death by its father came to naught, after the unborn baby was declared dead at a hospital.
The seven-month-old foetus bore the brunt of its enraged father at Mkwazini village, outside Tzaneen, on Thursday night. It is believed that heavily pregnant Tinyiko Matlaahule had had an argument with her 24-year-old boyfriend. The man allegedly stabbed her to death before turning on her 58-year-old mother Rachel Hlangwani, also killing her.
With both mother and daughter dead, the man apparently set their house on fire.
While the two women died on the scene, 20-year-old Matlaahule’s body was taken to a nearby hospital in the hope of saving her unborn baby. But it was declared dead at the hospital, Limpopo police spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said.
After setting his girlfriend’s house on fire, the man then went to a friend’s house and also torched it. They had had a dispute over money, Otto said.
The suspect was arrested and was expected to appear in the Ritavi Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of murder and arson.
The Star