The State has confirmed it will oppose bail for Sebokoana Khounyana, a 50-year-old sangoma charged in connection with the murder of two-year-old Kutlwano Shalaba. Khounyana appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates Court on Monday alongside the child’s mother, Keneuwe Shalaba (32), who now faces an additional charge of premeditated murder.
Kutlwano went missing in November last year, and last week police made a grim discovery: a child's body buried in a shallow grave in Randfontein. Forensic tests are underway to confirm the identity. According to investigators, it was Khounyana who led police to the grave site.
In a shocking revelation, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the mother allegedly took her daughter to Khounyana with a chilling request — to have the child killed because she was unhappy about the baby’s gender and could no longer maintain the lies she had told her family.
"It is alleged that on 10 November 2024, the mother gave the child poison, which resulted in her death. The two then buried her in a shallow grave in Waterpan,” said Mahanjana.
Shalaba, who had initially faced charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, and making a false police statement, remains behind bars after being denied bail. The court previously heard that she had received R75,000 in her account on the day she reported the child missing.
The case has been postponed to 5 June 2025 to allow Khounyana to secure legal representation. The State has made it clear it will oppose any attempts to secure his release on bail.