Alleged killer mom 'pregnant again'
2012-02-09 10:49
Bloemfontein - A clearly pregnant Venolia Siwa, 35, appeared in the Pampierstad magistrate’s court on Wednesday on five charges of murder following the deaths of her young children, as her legal representative complained that she had been locked up alone “in her condition” and had no one to talk to.
Siwa’s legal representative, Albert Buthelezi, from Legal Aid SA, responded to a question by Magistrate Jan Britz by refusing to talk about Siwa’s “condition” and saying she didn’t want it made public.
But behind her, the gallery was buzzing with talk about her pregnancy.
Prosecutor Lebo Mashilo handed in the psychological report from the Weskoppies hospital in Pretoria, after which the defence immediately rejected it.
Buthelezi said the report had not been written on an official letterhead.
Psychosis
“It is not clear who wrote it and what qualifications the person has. We are not convinced of the contents of the report.
“The report also differs from the observations of the Wes-Einde Psychiatric Hospital in Kimberley. This report was compiled shortly after her arrest in October last year,” said Buthelezi.
This report found that Siwa, 35, suffered from acute psychosis. She apparently answered questions incoherently, hallucinated and apparently heard voices.
Buthelezi and Advocate Nzame Skibi of Legal Aid SA in Mahikeng would subpoena the doctors and writers of the report to testify in court. The trial was postponed to Monday.
Siwa’s bail application was also postponed indefinitely pending the issue of the report from the psychologist from Weskoppies.
Siwa allegedly poisoned her children, aged 13, 10, 5, 4 and 2, on October 17 last year, before trying to commit suicide.
The children were apparently drowned in buckets of water in their home. Some of the children had been stabbed to death.
An informed source told reporters on Wednesday that Siwa had spent ten days in Rustenburg before the alleged murders. Then she returned to Pampierstad. She apparently fetched the children from school on the day of the incident because she wanted to return to Rustenburg.