By Staff Reporter
A HARARE woman has been jailed for eight months after subjecting her seven-year-old nephew to a horrific punishment that left him with burnt hands after he ate potatoes because he was hungry.
Lucia Makubaba was convicted of ill-treatment or neglect of children after a court heard how she turned on a young boy for eating potatoes from a pot when he returned home from school.
The shocking incident occurred on October 7 at around 3pm when the child, Prince Manyenga (7), arrived home hungry and helped himself to some potatoes.
But instead of showing understanding, Makubaba allegedly flew into a rage when she discovered the food had been eaten.
The court heard that she repeatedly slapped the child across the face before taking her punishment to a disturbing level.
Makubaba then lit a gas stove, grabbed the boy’s hands and deliberately burnt them in the flames.
The traumatised child was later taken for medical examination and the injuries were confirmed in a medical report presented before the court.
When the matter came before Harare magistrate Samantha Ruponga, the State described the attack as cruel, deliberate and deeply troubling.
Prosecutors argued that the use of fire against a defenceless child demonstrated extreme callousness and warranted a custodial sentence.
The court heard that children’s hands are essential for everyday life, from writing at school and eating to playing and carrying out normal activities.
“The child’s hands should never have been turned into a source of pain,” the court was told.
Prosecutors also highlighted the growing concern over child abuse cases and stressed that Makubaba had betrayed a position of trust by becoming the source of the child’s suffering instead of his protector.
The State urged the court to send a strong message that violence against children would not be tolerated.
In passing sentence, Magistrate Ruponga emphasised that children are not property or slaves but human beings deserving care, dignity and protection.
Makubaba was initially sentenced to 12 months in prison.
However, four months were suspended on condition that she does not commit a similar offence involving the ill-treatment or neglect of children.
She will therefore serve an effective eight-month jail term.
The case has sparked outrage, with many questioning how a child could be subjected to such cruelty simply for eating food because he was hungry.
For little Prince, a simple search for something to eat after school ended in pain, scars and a lesson no child should ever have to learn.
