Man accused of attempting to kill his girlfriend's 8-year-old child by slitting her throat abandons bail

A man who allegedly attempted to kill his girlfriend's eight-year-old child by slitting her throat has abandoned his bid for bail.

The 31-year-old appeared in the Mamelodi magistrate’s court on Thursday on a charge of attempted murder.

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the man and the mother of the girl are in a relationship.

“It is alleged that on April 24 the couple went to a funeral where an argument broke out between them. The next day, while the mother of the girl went to a nearby car wash, the accused went to the house where she lived to try to work things out.”

Mahanjana said when the man arrived he found the girl with her grandmother and he allegedly found a butcher's knife in the kitchen.

“The mother of the victim heard the screams of her mother and rushed home, took her injured child and rushed her to a nearby hospital. 

“The child survived and is now back from the hospital and recovering at home.”

A petition containing 98 signatures of community members demanding that the accused not be released on bail was submitted in court. 

The matter has been postponed to May 30 for further investigation.

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