Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura, Court Reporter
A 27-YEAR-OLD maid from Bulawayo has been fined US$110 after she brutally assaulted her employer’s three-year-old daughter with a switch, claiming she was “teaching” the child how to communicate when she needed to use the toilet.
Rejoice Moyo of Pumula North pleaded guilty to a charge of child ill-treatment when she appeared before Western Commonage Magistrate Jeconia Prince Ncube.
She was ordered to pay the fine by 21 November 2025 or face two months in prison if she defaults.
In court, Moyo said she never meant to harm the little girl but wanted her to learn how to alert adults when she needed to relieve herself.
Prosecutor Cathrine Kuzu told the court that on 9 October, the child’s mother left her in Moyo’s care. During the day, Moyo struck the toddler several times on the back with a switch.
The young girl suffered bruises from the beating but was not taken for medical treatment. The incident was later reported to the police, leading to Moyo’s arrest.
