A young woman accused of brutally murdering her newborn baby will appear in the Malamulele magistrate's court on a murder charge, the police said on Tuesday.

The shocking incident happened in Malamulele on Monday morning after the woman went to a local clinic with her mother to find out why her stomach "was growing big".

She had previously denied being pregnant.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said while waiting for the consult, the 30-year-old woman allegedly indicated to her mother she wanted to go to the bathroom in  the adjacent Masingita Mall.

"The suspect then allegedly gave birth to a baby girl on her own and allegedly started brutally assaulting her. The baby’s cries alerted cleaners, who immediately rushed to the bathroom and discovered the gruesome incident," said Mojapelo.

Authorities were called to the scene and upon arrival, rushed the woman and her badly injured baby to two different hospitals. The baby later died.

Mojapelo said the woman was arrested immediately after being discharged from hospital, initially on an attempted murder charge as the baby was still alive at the time.

"The charge has since been changed to murder after the police learnt about the baby's death," he told SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE.

The police are investigating the motive for the alleged murder. Mojapelo confirmed the woman would appear in court on Wednesday. 

TimesLIVE