A couple has been arrested and charged with concealing the death of their two-year-old toddler who was found buried inside their shack at Back Door Squatter Camp in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Monday. The couple told the police that their sangoma instructed them to bury the child there instead of at the graveyard. 

SHALLOW GRAVE IN A SHACK 

Community members reported the matter to the police more than a week after the child was buried as they believe it's a taboo to bury anyone inside a shack. When the police got to the shack, they found a shallow grave.

When ZiMoja called the parents to ask why they buried their late baby inside of the place where they slept, they refused to answer questions relating to the matter. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala sad, the police received a complaint on Monday that there was a child who was buried inside a certain house in Mpumalanga. "Police arrived at the reported address and interviewed the mother of the child," Mohlala said.

MURDER NOT SUSPECTED 

The police say, the child fell ill on 26 March 2023 and the couple decided to take the child to a local traditional healer as they believe in traditional medicine. The parents were then referred to the clinic where the boy was certified dead. The parents took the child's body back to their place of residence.

FOLLOWING SANGOMA'S INSTRUCTION 

Soon after that, they called their sangoma who instructed them not to bury the baby in a graveyard but inside their shack. Mohlala added the parents took the child back to their place of residence and buried him inside their room as instructed by their sangoma for ritual purposes. "The child was buried on 27 March 2023 in a handmade coffin. His body was exhumed on Monday and was found to be in a semi-decomposed state and taken to a government mortuary where a postmortem will be performed," he said. The parents will appear in court soon on charges of concealment of death.