Kutlwano Shalaba killed for being ‘the wrong gender’
A charge of premeditated murder has been added against the mother of murdered toddler Kutlwano Shalaba (2).
Keneuwe Shalaba (32) appeared alongside sangoma, Sebokoana Khounyana (50), in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court following the discovery of a child’s body in Randfontein.
Kutlwano went missing in November last year.
His mother, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was subsequently arrested and charged with human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, and making a false statement to police.
This was after investigations revealed the mother received R75,000 in her bank account on the day the child was reported missing.
The 50-year-old sangoma was arrested last Thursday, as the country observed Child Protection Week.
According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, Khounyana confessed to the crime before leading police to a shallow grave in Randfontein.
“The mother allegedly fed the baby poison, and after the baby died, it is alleged that the two took the child and buried her body in a shallow grave in Waterpan.”
It emerged in court, on Monday, that Shalaba allegedly poisoned her child because she had been living a lie.
“It is alleged that on 10 November 2024, the mother of the child took the child to the sangoma and requested him to kill her child because she was not happy with the gender of the baby and was tired of hiding it from her family, that in fact, the child was a girl.”
The state intends to oppose bail for Khounyana, while the court previously denied Shalaba bail.
The matter was postponed until 5 June for Khounyana to get legal representation.
