adminWhinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
A VILLAGE head from Tsholotsho, his wife and their 19-year-old daughter whom they allegedly helped to give birth to a child whom they strangled and buried in a shallow grave, have been arrested.
Vejila Mlilo (69) of Dikili area and his wife Agnes Vundla (60) allegedly assisted Sinikiwe Mlilo (19) to deliver on an unconfirmed date last month and then allegedly killed the new-born baby.
They allegedly said the baby boy was a disgrace because their daughter had been impregnated by a herdboy.
Vejila allegedly buried the baby after his wife strangled him.
The trio was arrested on Tuesday evening after police had exhumed the baby from a shallow grave in their garden, for a post mortem.
At the time of retrieval of the body, Vejila and his wife had moved the body to another grave in a suspected attempt to conceal the matter. Their daughter was in police custody.
The couple allegedly said the father of the new-born was a “mere” herdboy, hence a disgrace to the family.
Sinikiwe was allegedly impregnated by their neighbour’s herdboy, Mr Washington Nkomo.
When Mr Nkomo was allegedly notified of his child’s sudden death, he suspected foul play, prompting him to report the matter to the police.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson, Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the arrest, saying the body had been exhumed. “I can confirm the arrest of suspects over a case of a new born baby who was buried in a shallow grave in their garden. Police exhumed the body on Tuesday and the suspects are assisting police with investigations that are underway,” she said.
Tsholotsho Ward 16 councillor, Patrick Ngwenya, said the body was retrieved on Tuesday afternoon after he had engaged the police. “When Nkomo reported the matter to police, no action was taken, prompting an uproar by villagers who demanded justice. Villagers approached me fuming over the community leader’s behaviour. They demanded that all three be arrested and have the law take its course,” he said.
A source that preferred anonymity said the councillor, Mr Ngwenya, had taken up the matter after the baby’s father’s report had been swept under the carpet and ignored.
“A police team came to Mlilo’s homestead to further investigate the matter. During investigations, Sinikiwe and her mother at first insisted that she had miscarried. They said they threw the foetus into a Blair toilet.
“After interrogation Sinikiwe changed her story and said the baby was still born. She said she wrapped the baby in a blanket and when her parents arrived home, she related the matter and it was decided that they quickly bury it,” said the source.
Hospital tests revealed that she had a full term pregnancy and had given birth. — @winnie_masara
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