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Gibson Mhaka
A mother killing her own child is a shocking and thankfully rare occurrence that often defies understanding.
This disturbing trend of mothers killing their own children seems to have gripped the Mayobodo area under Chief Hobodo of Mangwe, Matabeleland South Province.
Last week, a woman from the area Christine Nyoni (34) was sentenced to six months imprisonment for killing her new-born baby to conceal an extra marital affair she was having.
She engaged in extramarital relations with a man from her village while her husband was away in South Africa, resulting in pregnancy.
Christine pleaded for leniency from the court, claiming she killed the baby to save her marriage, since the child had been sired with another man. The matter came to light after a dog was spotted running with what appeared to be a human hand between its jaws.
This led to the unearthing of a horrifying sight — a shallow grave covered with twigs and crammed with human remains.
The remains were those of a child, born to Christine who delivered it alone before burying it in a shallow grave, in the nearby bushes behind her homestead.
In the latest case, another woman, Remember Ndlovu (21) from the same area was arrested and appeared before Plumtree resident magistrate, Joshua Nembaware charged with a crime of concealing the birth of a child as defined in Section 106 (2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months imprisonment of which three months imprisonment was suspended for a period of five years, on condition the accused does not within that period commit any offence of which the concealment of birth is an element, for which upon conviction she will be sentenced to prison without the option of a fine.
The remaining three months were suspended on condition the accused completes 105 hours of community service at Mayobodo Clinic. The court heard from the prosecutor Selestine Madziwa that on 25 April 2024 at around 8pm, Remember gave birth and then dug a hole to bury the child. She then returned home and told a female neighbour that she wasn’t feeling well and was bleeding.
The neighbour didn’t believe her story and became suspicious. She threatened to report her to the police. Fearing the neighbour’s threats, Remember revealed where she buried the child. The neighbour alerted the accused’s parents, who came and retrieved the deceased child’s body. The matter was then reported to the police ,leading to Remember’s arrest.
Online Reporter