A woman convicted of concealing birth has been given a suspended sentence after the court considered that she was taking care of her four minor children.
Mosintiri Kasefitlhela (36) of Letlhakeng, got off lightly recently as her 12 months jail sentence was wholly suspended on condition that she does not commit any similar offence.
Kasefitlhela managed to convince Molepolole Magistrate, Kefilwe Resheng, during mitigation that she was the only one caring for her four children and that while in custody she had left them in the care of the eldest who is only 13 years old.
The remorseful Kasefitlhela did not waste the court’s time as she pleaded guilty to giving birth and discreetly burying her baby in a shallow grave near her place on September 9th, last year.
“May the court have mercy on me; I have been incarcerated since December 16th, 2020. I left my children under the care of the elder one and asked my neighbour to assist. My other child is supposed to start school,” mitigated the remorseful Kasefitlhela.
When passing sentence last week, Magistrate Resheng advised Kasefitlhela to enrol in family planning.
Kasefitlhela also confessed before court that she committed the offence due to poverty as the baby’s father had abandoned her.
Her secret was revealed after a neighbour saw a dog eating something that appeared like a baby next to his yard and reported the incident to the police.
Upon their investigations the police were alerted that Kasefitlhela could be the mother of the dead foetus and during arrest she admitted to the offence and led them to the place where she had hidden the foetus.
The results of the police forensic laboratory had also revealed that she was the mother of the foetus.