Mauled body of newborn baby found at Lemana dam

The community of Magangeni village outside Louis Trichardt is still trying to process a recent event where a dog was found devouring body parts of a newborn baby. According to reports received, a local resident was walking on the gravel road along the Lemana Dam when he saw a dog eating what looked like meat. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the dog was, in fact, eating parts of a dead infant. The gruesome discovery was made on Thursday morning, 23 November.

Vhembe police spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed the incident. “Upon receiving a report about the incident, our members rushed to the dam, where what was left of the tiny body was found. Both legs and the left arm were missing. The baby appeared to have been strangled with something that looks like a pantyhose, which was found around its neck. The infant was a boy as his genitals were still intact. Pathologists transported the body to the local Elim Hospital’s government mortuary. The mother of the baby has not been identified yet, but investigations are ongoing,” he said.

A local resident, who preferred to stay anonymous, said he had received a phone call alerting him about the incident at around 08:00 on the morning of the discovery. “I rushed there and found that it was an infant. We are all in a state of shock. We have never experienced anything like this in this area. We suspect that the mother had given birth at home and later dumped the baby at the Lemana Dam because the umbilical cord was still intact. We don’t think she is from here, but we sincerely hope the police arrest her, so she gets punished for this heinous deed,” he said.

Mr Joshua Kwapa, spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Social Development, called on all mothers who experience challenges in raising their children to seek assistance from local social workers, who are always willing to assist them.

The police are appealing for help in tracing the mother. Anyone with information on her whereabouts or any other information regarding the incident can contact the investigating officer, Detective W/O Mmberengeni Jonathan Muthavhini, on 082 319 9629.

Date:01 December 2023

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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