adminMelody Baya Court Reporter
A TEENAGER who allegedly left her 10-month-old baby unattended on two different occasions to go and stay with her boyfriend has been arrested.
Prudence Mdlongwa, 18, of Old Pumula suburb in Bulawayo appeared before magistrate Tancy Dube facing charges of neglecting her minor child.
She was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to January 4.
Mdlongwa’s mother Sihle reported the matter to the police leading to her daughter’s arrest.
In court, Mdlongwa claimed that she left her child in her mother’s custody.
“I never left my child alone unattended. I left her with my mother to go and visit my boyfriend who I want to move in with,” said Mdlongwa.
Prosecuting, Stewart Madzore, told the court that on December 26 at around 1PM, the teenager left her baby girl unattended.
She allegedly spent the night at her boyfriend’s place and returned on the following day.
Madzore said Mdlongwa repeated the offence on December 29.
“On December 29, 2015 at around 8PM the accused person left her baby girl alone in her bedroom and went to her boyfriend’s house. The child was later discovered by the complainant after she heard the baby crying,” said Madzore.
Sihle, he said, proceeded to the police to make a report leading to Mdlongwa’s arrest.
In May this year, a 23-year-old Plumtree woman was slapped with 210 hours of community service after she dumped her two-year-old baby at her neighbour’s house as she fled to Botswana with her boyfriend.
The boyfriend abandoned her in the neighbouring country and she surrendered herself to Botswana police. She was deported and arrested in Plumtree.
Online Reporter