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Yeukai Karengezeka–Court Correspondent
A Gokwe woman who sold her baby two days after giving birth has been jailed for 10 years.
Harare regional magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube found Pauline Maganga (23) guilty of human trafficking and said there were no special circumstances to consider.
“The victim is a child in this case and the offender is a parent.
“The offence was committed in aggravating circumstances and there were no special circumstances to consider,” said Mr Ncube noting that aggravating factors outweighed mitigatory factors.
“She had the duty to keep and protect this child but she chose to commodify the child for the purpose of trafficking.
“In this modern world, no person should be sold. We have passed slave trade era. She should have given up the child for adoption in a legal manner if she was really poor,” he said .
Prosecutor Mr Tendai Tapi told the court that Maganga confessed to having made an agreement while pregnant in South Africa, with a suspected human trafficker named Janet Marimo.
Under the agreement, she was supposed to sell her child on delivery.
Two days after the baby’s birth, Marimo arrived to take the infant.
Maganga revealed in court that she received a total payment of R25 000 for the baby. The arrangement was for her to obtain the baby’s birth certificate by October 29 last year, but she did not fulfil this requirement.
This led Marimo to enter Zimbabwe illegally with the baby and she was arrested in Waterfalls on November 27 following a tip-off. On learning of Marimo’s arrest, Maganga returned to Zimbabwe on December 12.
The child is now under the care of the Department of Social Welfare.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter