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Lawrence Mhuri (56) pleaded not guilty to three counts of contravening a section of the Criminal Law Reform and Codification Act (Violating a Corpse) when he appeared before a Beitbridge provincial resident magistrate Ms Gloria Takundwa.
He was remanded out of custody to 4 December for continuation of trial.
The prosecutor, Mr Forster Abeki, said on 1 January Fortune Vengesai of Dulibadzimu Township in the border town had a stillbirth.
The baby was put in the mortuary at Beitbridge District Hospital. Mhuri then approached her the following day and offered to incinerate the corpse at a cost of R300 at the hospital, the court was told.
This was, however, despite the fact that the incinerator had not been working for three years.
He then allegedly burnt the corpse at thehospital backyard in the absence of the woman and other relatives
Mhuri allegedly used petrol to burn the body.
The accused also violated the hospital procedure and allegedly converted the R300 tohis own use.
The court heard that in the second incident, which occurred on 16 May, Nomsa Jacob’s eight-month-old child died at her house in the border town.
She took it to the mortuary in the company of other relatives so that they could make funeral arrangements.
They were then approached by Mhuri who again offered to incinerate the baby.
He allegedly demanded R 350 from the family and was given the money and did not do the job.
The court was told that Mhuri later told the relatives that he had cremated the baby in their absence.
The body was later discovered in June dumped at the hospital’s waste organic pit during a photo shoot.
The mother identified the corpse during police investigations.
t is further alleged that on 21 June, another local woman, Locadia Hove had a stillbirth at the same hospital and was also approached by Mhuri.
The accused duped the mother in the same manner and took the body to the local dumpsite where he allegedly disposed of the body.
Mhuri was arrested following the discovery of the second corpse.
Online Reporter