A 24-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his two-year-old niece in Phola Park, Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga.
Police were notified by a local hospital at approximately 20:20 on Sunday, 01 February 2026, that a child had been declared dead on arrival. Officers found the child’s body with a deep neck wound.
Preliminary information states three children, aged two to six, were playing outside when the suspect emerged from a house with a knife. He allegedly grabbed his two-year-old niece, forced her down, and inflicted a fatal neck injury before fleeing. The other children alerted adults inside.
The child was taken to the hospital where she succumbed to her injury.
The suspect handed himself over to police on Monday, 02 February 2026, and was charged with murder. He is expected to appear at Kwamhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 03 February 2026.