- A woman has been arrested for allegedly beating her baby to death.
- Neighbours heard the child's cries and intervened.
- The 11-month-old was declared dead on arrival at a local clinic.
A Limpopo woman has allegedly beaten her 11-month-old baby to death.
Police responded to the incident in Tswinganani village in the Tshaulu policing area on Sunday.
"It is alleged that a 42-year-old woman locked herself and her 11-month-old baby inside the hut and started beating him up," police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
"Community members reportedly heard the frantic cries of the baby and rushed to the house. After realising that the door was locked, they then broke it and rescued the badly injured baby from the mother."
The baby was rushed to a local clinic, but was declared dead on arrival.
The woman has been arrested on a charge of murder, and police investigations are continuing.
The motive for the incident was not clear, Mojapelo said.
In the wake of the murder, provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has called on the community to "desist from engaging in any violent protests".
"We strongly warn community members in that part of our province to desist from taking the law into their own hands as this would make them criminally liable, but they must instead give the police space to deal with this gruesome incident," Hadebe said.