Young man denies paternity and strangles 3 weeks old son in Mpumalanga

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The High Court in Mpumalanga sitting at Mbombela has handed down a life sentence to a 23 years old young for the murder of his infant son.

It is said that Sibusiso Patrick Shongwe had made a call to the mother, Noluthando Mlambo, of the three weeks old deceased son who was his girlfriend at the time but had denied the pregnancy.

The mother, accompanied by her mother as well went to see him with the baby under the pretext of providing items for the child. They met on the street as arranged.

Shongwe instructed the grandmother to leave, stating that he only wanted to speak to Mlambo and see the baby.

Shortly thereafter, three unknown men accosted Mlambo, enabling Shongwe to take the infant and flee the scene. Mlambo immediately reported the incident to her family, and the matter was subsequently reported to the police. A search operation was launched for both the accused and the child.

Two days later, the baby’s body was discovered in nearby bushes. Shongwe was later arrested in connection with the crime.Shongwe admitted that he had met Mlambo during the trial and the baby on the day in question but denied taking the child.

However, State Advocate Senzo Zindela presented compelling evidence, including witness testimony and a confession statement. The deceased’s mother testified that Shongwe had urged her to terminate the pregnancy.

A post-mortem report confirmed that the infant died because of sharp-force injuries to the neck.

His defense to the accusations of committing was not accepted as a result, he was given maximum sentence in prison.