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Moffat Mungazi
Post Reporter
IN a home delivery that went terribly wrong, a woman from Mafararikwa Village under Chief Marange’s area died last week after enduring pregnancy-related complications for three days, with her unborn baby’s arm sticking out of her uterus until they both breathed their last.
Ms Jane Muchichwa (30), a member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church, died on her way to the hospital following her family’s intervention.
The doctrine of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church does not believe in any medicine or conventional health services.
Pregnant women in the church deliver at home-based ‘‘maternity wards’’ referred to as chitsidzo, under the care of church-ordained midwives.
According to an investigation conducted by The Manica Post, the Johane Marange Apostolic Church has three such ‘‘maternity wards’’ in Mafararikwa Village.
As a result, women and children are bearing the brunt of high maternal and neonatal mortality as they depend on unsafe traditional birth attendants and unconventional medicine.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed Ms Muchichwa’s death while in labour.
“We received a report of sudden death after Ms Jane Muchichwa (30) passed on while giving birth. On January 14, Ms Muchichwa, who was a member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church, went to stay at a Johane Marange Apostolic Church prophetess, Ms Rupimo’s homestead in Mafararikwa Village in preparation for delivery as she was nine months pregnant.
“On January 15, she started experiencing labour pains and at around 2pm on the same day, the fetus’ arm and umbilical code protruded while the rest of the body remained inside,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
He said Ms Rupimo continued praying for Ms Muchichwa as she assessed her condition.
“On January 16, Ms Rupimo told Ms Muchichwa’s husband, Mr Makebho Madziro (43) that she had failed to assist the pregnant woman to deliver and advised him to take her to another prophetess.
That evening, Mr Madziro took his wife to another prophetess, Ms Mahove, for assistance,” he said.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said Ms Muchichwa’s elder sister, Ms Sarah Muchichwa visited her the following day and discovered that her condition was deteriorating.
“Ms Sarah Muchichwa phoned their brother, Mr Trymore Chiruka to come and ferry their pregnant sibling to hospital. Sadly she died on their way to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital the following day. Police from Marange attended the scene,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.
Mr Chiruka, in whose car Ms Muchichwa died on their way to hospital, recounted his sister’s last moments.
“I received a phone call from my mother in Mafararikwa Village early Thursday morning around 4am, alerting me that my sister was due to give birth, but was experiencing complications and her condition had deteriorated over the past two days.
“I immediately drove there and arrived at around 9am before getting to the homestead where she was ‘admitted’ at around 1pm,” said Mr Chiruka.
Mr Chiruka said Ms Muchichwa had earlier been transferred from two other midwives, with all of them failing to deliver her baby.
He said by the time they embarked on the journey to hospital, his sister’s unborn baby was already lifeless, with its hand and the umbilical cord protruding.
“I consulted her husband on the way forward and he agreed to have her taken to hospital. My other sister, Sarah, accompanied us.
“Jane was writhing in pain and crying out for help. After driving for about 7km on our way to the hospital, she died. I immediately called her husband, informing him of the situation and he advised us to drive back to his homestead. Police later arrived and ferried the body to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital,” said Mr Chiruka.
He said it was sad and painful to lose his sister under such circumstances, adding that her life could have been saved had she received medical attention much earlier.
“Her death could have been avoided if she was taken to the hospital when she developed those complications.
‘‘By the moment they transferred her to the third midwife without any success in delivering her baby, they should have realised that her condition required medical attention without any further delays. Her life could have been saved if she had been taken to hospital much earlier,” said Mr Chiruka.
Ms Muchichwa was buried last week on Friday in Mafararikwa Village after the post-mortem fetal extrusion process was carried out at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital to separate the unborn baby from its dead mother.
Mafararikwa Village Head, Mr Crispen Mafararikwa was among the mourners who paid their last respects to Ms Muchichwa.
He said Ms Muchichwa was not accorded the usual rites members of the Johane Marange Apostolic Church get when they are laid to rest as she was taken to hospital in violation of the church’s religious beliefs.
“Ms Muchichwa was laid to rest last week on Friday. Her church did not perform their usual rites because she was taken to hospital, which is contrary to their beliefs. The two families and the local community were largely involved in her burial,” said Mr Mafararikwa.
The Manica Post news crew tried to speak to the Madziro family but our efforts were fruitless.
Even a visit to their homestead during the funeral wake repeatedly drew blanks as the family declined to comment.
The Madziro family patriarch and spokesperson was evasive when pressed for a comment on the matter.
He cited church protocol which restricted him from speaking over the issue and eventually disappeared from the homestead.
The other family members were not forthcoming.
However, The Manica Post managed to track down and talk to one of the church’s midwives — Ms Rupimo (54) — who first attended to the late Ms Muchichwa.
In her account, Ms Rupimo said she immediately turned away Ms Muchichwa the moment she arrived at the ‘maternity ward’ after conducting a routine inspection and noticing that the fetus’ arm was protruding.
“She came here at the chitsidzo walking on her own. I noticed that something was wrong from the way she was walking and after inspecting her, I noticed that the fetus’ arm was protruding.
“I advised her that I could not attended to her as her condition was something I had never experienced before. I called her husband and he came to pick her up and took her to another midwife, only for me to later receive the sad news that she had passed on,” said Ms Rupimo.
Ms Rupimo said she renders obstetric and gynecological services to expectant mothers, just like mainstream midwives.
The 54-year-old said she boasts 35 years of practising midwifery in the Johane Marange Apostolic Church.
“I have been practicing midwifery in the Johane Marange Apostolic Church since 1987 after the birth of my second child. I was ordained in this role by the church.
“I was born and raised in the Johane Marange Apostolic Church and delivered all my five children through chitsidzo as per our religious tradition,” she said.
Ms Rupimo said she received no professional training in midwifery, adding that she is guided by the Holy Spirit in her undertakings.
“Everything is led by the Holy Spirit. We do everything through prayer and intercession sessions,” she said.
Ms Rupimo said expectant mothers usually check into the church’s ‘maternity wards’ as their expected dates of delivery draw closer. They then stay there until they give birth.
During that period, Ms Rupimo said she checks if the fetus is in its head-down proper position in the mother’s uterus.
When the fetus is in breech (bottom or feet-first position), or lying across the uterus, she said she puts them into the correct position before the pregnant women goes into labour.
“My eldest daughter gave birth to twin babies that came feet-first during their delivery. I was the midwife during my grandchildren’s childbirth and everything went on well,” she recalled.
Ms Rupimo’s ‘maternity ward’, which is housed at her homestead, can take in a maximum of nine expectant mothers at one go.
During The Manica Post news crew’s visit at her homestead, some pregnant women were doing dishes and laundry, while others were cooking.
While our crew could only observe what was going on, Ms Rupimo denied us a tour of the maternity ward for us to get a first hand experience of what exactly goes on in there.
She, however, said all the women bring their own supplies to cover the duration of their stay at the ‘maternity ward’.
“After delivery, I continue monitoring the mothers here and they are only discharged after their babies’ umbilical cord falls off. During that time,they will be learning to clean the stump and the belly button,” said Ms Rupimo, adding that no fatality cases have ever been reported at her ‘maternity ward’.
She said the longest she has stayed with an expectant mother was seven months after she checked in two-months pregnant at the instruction of the Holy Spirit.
Ms Rupimo said she doesn’t charge for her midwifery services as “she is doing it all in the service of Johane Marange Apostolic Church”.
However, she only takes in members of her church.
The elderly woman said she has lost count of the total number of children she has delivered, including twin babies.
Ms Rupimo implored pregnant women to regularly get routine check-ups.
“This will help to prevent prenatal complications as the ultimate goal is to ensure safe childbirth that does not put both the mother and baby’s lives in jeopardy,” she said.
According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census Report, the Life Time Risk of maternal mortality for Manicaland was 17.3 deaths per 1 000 women in the province, which was the second highest in the country after Midlands (18.2).
The LTR of maternal mortality reflects the chances of a woman dying from maternal causes over the course of her 35-year reproductive life span.
The indicator considers the probability of a death due to maternal causes each time a woman becomes pregnant.
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