×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Mother feeds baby rat poison

A TEMBISA woman is standing trial for allegedly attempting to kill her two-year-old child by feeding her potato chips laced with rat poison known as "galephirimi".

The woman, 22, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder in the Tembisa Magistrate's Court in November last year.

In her plea statement, the woman claims she wanted to kill herself and the child because she was abused by her aunt. The incident happened in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, in September last year.

"On that day I got angry about the emotional and physical abuse from my aunt, who I was staying with. [She] was treating me [badly] as I do not have parents," she said.

The woman said she bought the poison and chips at Tembisa Plaza.

"On arrival home I poured the poison into the chips and fed my child. I also ate some. Two hours later our bodies began to react to the poison," said the woman.

The two were vomiting and had stomach aches. They were rushed to hospital. The woman said in her statement she realised that she should have sought alternative ways to deal with her problems.

Yesterday magistrate Thasami Naidoo postponed the case to January 30 for a pre-sentencing report to be placed on record.

The woman was not the first to try and escape her problems by taking her life and that of a child in the Tembisa policing cluster.

In January last year, Polinah Mabotja, killed herself and her two-month-old baby by also consuming rat poison.

Mabotja was allegedly heart-broken after she was rejected by the man who made her pregnant.

The poison, whose real name is Aldicarb, was originally produced as agricultural pesticide. It has been blamed for the deaths of about 50 people in Ivory Park near Midrand since 2013.

Its township name "galephirimi" is Sotho/ Tswana word for "you will not see the sunset". The poison has a reputation as a fast killer.

Also known as "two-step" or "Maponyane", it's mostly used as a mice and rat killer in the townships.

ratsatsip@sowetan.co.za

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.