{"id":295185,"date":"2026-01-23T10:26:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?p=295185"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:26:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:26:59","slug":"couple-arrested-for-murder-of-3-year-old-after-mothers-false-missing-person-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/couple-arrested-for-murder-of-3-year-old-after-mothers-false-missing-person-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple arrested for murder of 3-year-old after mother’s false missing person report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SULENKAMA – QUMBU<\/strong> – A couple aged 32 and 23 years, both from Mbizana, were arrested by Sulenkama police on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 at about 19:45 for the murder of a three-year-old baby boy that was committed in Gqwesa locality, Sulenkama, on 1 September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to SAPS spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo, the 23-year-old female suspect reported to SAPS Mbizana in 2024 that her 3-year-old baby boy went missing at a fuel filling station in Mbizana, but police investigations with CCTV cameras’ assistance proved otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Further investigations revealed that the baby was assaulted to death by his stepfather using a stick whilst they were all in Sulenkama, where his mother’s boyfriend was still working,” Matyolo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the child was allegedly born whilst both suspects were already in a relationship, but the boyfriend is not the father of the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After the child’s death, both suspects put him in a 20-litre bucket, tightly closed it with wire and secretly buried the child in a small grave.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matyolo added that the mother thereafter went to Mbizana police station to report the child as missing. “The couple showed the police the baby boy’s grave in Sulenkama,<\/strong> and it was excavated and the decomposed body of the boy was found still inside the bucket.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The duo face murder charges, whilst a charge of defeating the ends of justice has been added to the female suspect. Both suspects are to appear before Qumbu Magistrates’ Court today, 23 January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OR Tambo District Commissioner,<\/strong> Major General Norman Modishana,<\/strong> said:<\/strong> “It is so heartbreaking and sad that a human life can be lost in such a gruesome manner,<\/strong> but let the law take its course.”<\/strong> He condemned the brutal murder of an innocent child whilst also applauding investigators for their sterling work in uncovering the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A couple from Mbizana were arrested for murdering a three-year-old boy whose body was found buried in a bucket after mother falsely reported him missing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":265326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"74","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Couple arrested for murder of 3-year-old after mother's false missing person report","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"Police arrest a couple for the shocking murder of a three-year-old. 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