Mpumalanga Uncle Arrested After Two-Year-Old Girl Killed

A 24-year-old man is behind bars following the death of his two-year-old niece in Phola Park, KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga.

Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said officers were notified late on Sunday after a local hospital reported that a toddler had been brought in by relatives and declared dead on arrival.

Police who responded to the hospital found the child lying on a bed with a severe neck injury and no signs of life.

Mpumalanga Child Murder: What Police Found

According to initial findings, three children between the ages of two and six were playing outside a home when the suspect allegedly came out of a house carrying a knife.

Ndubane said the man allegedly grabbed his two-year-old niece without speaking, forced her to the ground and injured her before running away from the scene.

The other children reportedly ran indoors to alert adults, after which the injured toddler was rushed to hospital, where she later died.

Suspect Hands Himself Over to Mpumalanga Police

Ndubane confirmed that the suspect presented himself at a police station on Monday.

“He is expected to appear before the KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” Ndubane said.

The man has been formally arrested and charged with murder.

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Acting Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi condemned the incident and offered condolences to the grieving family.

“It is shocking to learn that an innocent child was brutally murdered by a family member. We will ensure that the law takes its course,” said Mkhwanazi.