Alex Matlala and Victor Hlungwane

Alex Matlala and Victor Hlungwane

Limpopo police have arrested a 20-year-old woman for allegedly throwing her baby into a toilet after giving birth.

The woman was arrested yesterday and will appear in the Giyani magistrates' court today on a charge of concealment of a birth.

The woman allegedly reported the baby missing and claimed it had been stolen.

But the woman's mother did not believe her and persuaded her to admit that she had thrown the baby into the toilet.

"She said she had no money to care for the child after the father denied responsibility."

The grandmother of the discarded baby, Modjadji Makhubele, said she told her neighbours what had happened and they advised her to go to the local induna.

The police said they acted on a tip-off.

"We immediately started digging up the toilet," said police spokesman Moatshe Ngoepe. "But by late yesterday we were still trying to to retrieve the body.

"We can't find it and must now presume that it is dead."