Mpumalanga man accused of killing domestic worker’s toddler because house was not ‘cleaned properly’

Police in Mpumalanga have arrested a 21-year-old man accused of murdering a three-year-old girl after allegedly becoming angry that the child’s mother “did not clean the house properly”. The suspect is expected to appear before the Nkomazi magistrate’s court on Thursday on a charge of murder. Provincial police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli said the suspect was arrested by police in Schoemansdal following the incident in Driekoppies on Tuesday at about 1.30pm.

“It is alleged that the child’s mother, a domestic worker at the residence, left her daughter sleeping on a couch. When she later could not find her, the suspect directed her to the garage where she discovered the child’s lifeless body with head injuries,” said Mdhluli. He said police officers and Emergency Medical Services were called to the scene, where the child was declared dead.

“When questioned about the incident the suspect allegedly stated that he was angry because the mother did not clean the house properly,” Mdhluli said. According to police the suspect lives at the property with his grandmother, who employs the child’s mother as a domestic worker. Mdhluli confirmed that a murder case has been opened and investigations are continuing.