Father forced to dig up son's from backyard grave, accused of murder

A father in Limpopo has been arrested for killing his four-year-old son and burying his tiny body in a shallow grave in the backyard of their Limpopo home.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the father had been arrested at Ngwanamatlang village in Sekhukhune district.

“A case of murder has been opened and the father will appear in court soon ... 35-year old man from Lesotho allegedly suffocated his son with a blanket, dug a shallow grave and buried him,” he said.

Mojapelo said the father had fetched the boy from his mother, who reportedly lives  in Gauteng, two weeks earlier.

“Community members saw the suspicious grave and questioned the suspect who tried to run away but was traced and arrested. The suspect was admitted in hospital with serious injuries and is under police guard,” he said.

In a video clip that has emerged, a man wearing a green T-shirt and blue trousers is surrounded by angry community members demanding the boy's body.

The father is shown digging until unearthing a a mealie meal bag covered in a blanket, believes to be the son's body.

A community member is heard saying that the man confessed to the murder while another says that body was scalded with boiling water.