Article - Killer mom: Poison was my way out

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bex.cpt

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Killer mom: Poison was my way out

A Cape Town mother who poisoned her eight-month-old daughter to death did so because she felt there was no other way out of the bleak financial situation she found herself in, the Western Cape High Court has heard.

Phamela Somkence, 29, of Philippi was sentenced to 10 years behind bars on Monday after she admitted that she poisoned her daughter to death and attempted to kill the child’s older sister in the same way.

The incident took place at their Browns Farm home in October 2010 when Somkence mixed poison into her daughters’ fruit juice and gave it to them before drinking the same deadly concoction in a bid to end her own life.
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How desperate must a mother be to take such drastic action, nothing breaks a parents heart more than looking at their children hungry and not having anything to feed them. I am a firm believer in the "NEW" South Africa I have high hopes for the future of this country but things like this makes me step back and ask questions of our politicians and leaders.

We must first look after the basic needs of the poor and under privileged, only then can we push our chest out and take our rightful place on the international stage. Put support structures in place for the poor and the weak. Parents killing their children cause they can't feed them is a black mark on the entire society and something we can all make a difference too

:mad:
 
bex.cpt said:
Killer mom: Poison was my way out



How desperate must a mother be to take such drastic action, nothing breaks a parents heart more than looking at their children hungry and not having anything to feed them. I am a firm believer in the "NEW" South Africa I have high hopes for the future of this country but things like this makes me step back and ask questions of our politicians and leaders.

We must first look after the basic needs of the poor and under privileged, only then can we push our chest out and take our rightful place on the international stage. Put support structures in place for the poor and the weak. Parents killing their children cause they can't feed them is a black mark on the entire society and something we can all make a difference too

:mad:
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BS the state gives child support. it may not be much per child but it is something that a lot of women take advantage of these days. in addition to that there is child welfare who will provide food hampers for hungry families, again it isn't much but it is something. another option is to place the children in a home, foster care, whatever. killing your children is NOT a way out. she deserves prison time.
 
Sad but if you can't afford kids you should not have any. Might sound harsh but I can't see myself having kids which I wont be able to support. These social grants aren't helping either as people have kids for the money.
 
ponder said:
Sad but if you can't afford kids you should not have any. Might sound harsh but I can't see myself having kids which I wont be able to support. These social grants aren't helping either as people have kids for the money.
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What do you do if you have kids and thereafter your financial situation changes for the worst? It might be what happened here.
 
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bex.cpt said:
nothing breaks a parents heart more than looking at their children hungry and not having anything to feed them.
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How about not having kids that you can't afford to feed in the first place? ;)
 
blunomore said:
What do you do if you have kids and thereafter your financial situations changes for the worst? It might be what happened here.
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Then your financial planning sucks. Before having kids you should already have enough saved up to be able to support them and yourself for a while in the event that things do go south :)
 
blunomore said:
What do you do if you have kids and thereafter your financial situations changes for the worst? It might be what happened here.
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It might be but in the majority of cases it's not. People pop out kids like there's no tomorrow. If she did however have a change in situation then there is child support grants, charity organisations & foster care. You don't just go and kill children.
 
ponder said:
It might be but in the majority of cases it's not. People pop out kids like there's no tomorrow. If she did however have a change in situation then there is child support grants, charity organisations & foster care. You don't just go and kill children.
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I was not suggesting murder as an option. I was playing devils advocate.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Then your financial planning sucks. Before having kids you should already have enough saved up to be able to support them and yourself for a while in the event that things do go south :)
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This is naive.

If you lose your job , what then? You think people would have saved up enough for the next x months/years till you get a job again? I am NOT suggesting killing your kids is OK, I am saying that sometimes life deals people a hand they cannot play all too well.
 
Celine said:
BS the state gives child support. it may not be much per child but it is something that a lot of women take advantage of these days. in addition to that there is child welfare who will provide food hampers for hungry families, again it isn't much but it is something. another option is to place the children in a home, foster care, whatever. killing your children is NOT a way out. she deserves prison time.
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I never once said that the women does not deserve prison time. Yes she does but us as a society must look at ourselves and ask why do we allow this to happen. While we sit with our top of the range 3D TV's and other gadgets their are people out there making life decisions on the life of their children. Something is very wrong with a society where this happens.
 
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