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The Herald, September 8, 1992
A 21-YEAR-OLD Harare woman who stole a six month-old baby from another woman was on Thursday last week sentenced to an effective nine months in jail.
Elizabeth Muzite was found guilty of kidnapping. She pleaded guilty. The magistrate, Ms Jacqueline Pratt, conditionally suspended three months of the 12-month jail term for three years.
The court found that on June 29 this year, Muzite met Mrs Emilda Mandizvidza carrying her six-month-old daughter at Mbare Musika.
They had a chat during which Muzite gave Mrs Mandizvidza false names and address. She also lied to Mrs Mandizvidza about knowing someone who could employ Mrs Mandizvidza as a housemaid.
They agreed to go and see this employer. They went to 15 Glen Carron Avenue in Highands where Muzite was a domestic worker.
While there, Muzite offered Mrs Mandizvidza a bath. While Mrs Mandizvidza was bathing, Muzite took the baby to Epworth where she kept it for eight days before being arrested.
In her defence, Muzite said she had no intention of permanently depriving Mrs Mandizvidza of the baby.
She said she took the baby out for more than two hours as Mrs Mandizvidza was bathing. She was surprised to find on returning that Mrs Mandizvidza had left that house and she did not know where to find her.
She, however, admitted that if she did not find the mother she intended keeping the child as her own.
Muzite told the magistrate that before stealing the baby she bought two nappies because she had seen that the mother was “very poor and was not married”.
“I felt very sorry for the poor child,” she said. “In her judgment, the magistrate rejected Muzite’s defence, saying that if she wanted to locate Mrs Mandizvidza she could have gone to the police.
Sentencing her, Ms Pratt said cases of kidnapping were viewed very seriously by the courts.
“The mother is poor, yes, but that does not give you the right to take the child as your own,” the magistrate said. – Ziana.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- It is important to ensure that people do not entrust their children or property with people that they have just met to avoid cases of abduction and theft.
- Kidnapping, especially of minors, is a serious crime that carries a custodial sentence.
- Child abduction issues in the country are dealt with under the Child Abduction Act (Chapter 5:05).
- The Act gives effect within Zimbabwe to the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction which was signed at The Hague on October 25, 1980.
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