Durban — The murder case of a 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly killed by her mother, is now in the hands of provincial task team investigators.
This was revealed on Wednesday in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court where Ncamisile Evarista Hlophe is on trial for the murder of Luvuyo Tafadzwe Bera.
Hlophe’s case, adjourned for further investigation on the previous occasion, was on Wednesday postponed to October because the docket was not in court.
The State explained that the docket had not been brought to court as it had been “taken from local police and was now being investigated by provincial task team investigators”.
Magistrate N Madlala postponed the matter for the docket to be brought to court.
Hlophe sat in the witness stand instead of being kept in the holding cells in a bid to separate her from the male accused who had cases in that court.
The KwaMashu mom was arrested in July and refused bail in August by magistrate Madlala.
According to police reports, on Monday, July 22, 2024, the suspect informed officers that her daughter had taken medication for a headache and fell down from her bed.
“The victim had an open wound at the back of her head and was declared dead on the scene,” police said at the time.
“An inquest docket was opened at KwaMashu police station for investigation.
“Post-mortem results revealed that the death was not of natural causes and the wound was inflicted with an unknown instrument.
“The mother was then arrested and charged with murder,” said police at the time.
During Hlophe’s bail application, the State revealed that it had statements from neighbours that on that evening they heard noises like there were people in a physical fight but they had not thought it could be Hlophe and her child.
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