By Thupeyo Muleya
A young girl cheated death after allegedly being dumped into a 12-metre-deep disused borehole by her own father and left there for six horrifying days.
The shocking incident has left villagers in Tongwe Village, Beitbridge East, stunned and demanding answers.
In what many are calling a miracle, the child was pulled out alive on Monday morning after spending nearly a week trapped underground without food or water.
Her survival is being attributed to old logs and tree branches that had been thrown into the abandoned borehole years ago. The debris is believed to have prevented her from plunging deeper into the darkness and possible death.
The girl, whose identity cannot be revealed because she is a minor, is now receiving treatment at Beitbridge District Hospital where doctors are monitoring her condition following the traumatic ordeal.
As news of her rescue spread across the district, stunned villagers struggled to comprehend how such a young child could survive six days in such harsh conditions. Police have since launched investigations, but the mystery deepened when officers reportedly arrived at the family homestead and found it deserted.
A source close to the investigations said authorities are now searching for the child’s parents while trying to establish exactly what happened.
“We are following several leads and investigations are continuing,” said the source.
While the motive behind the alleged act remains unknown, locals say the child had reportedly been living a difficult life long before the incident.
Community members claim the girl was allegedly treated differently from her three siblings and was made to sleep alone in a makeshift shelter constructed from plastic sheets and other scraps.
The allegations have fuelled outrage among residents, many of whom are struggling to come to terms with the shocking events.
Traditional leader Chief Tshitaudze described the incident as disturbing and urged families facing challenges to seek help instead of resorting to violence or neglect.
“What happened to that child is worrying,” he said. “The community is still shaken.”
Villagers who gathered after the rescue described scenes of disbelief as the weak and traumatised child emerged alive from the underground death trap.
Social worker, Babongile Gora, who is assisting the victim, said the focus must now shift towards helping the child recover emotionally and psychologically.
“This child has endured severe trauma,” she said. “Beyond her physical survival, we must focus on her emotional and psychological healing.”
She appealed to the public to respect the girl’s privacy and allow her space to recover.
As police hunt for answers and the whereabouts of the parents remain unknown, one question continues to haunt the Beitbridge community:
How did a child survive six days in a dark, abandoned borehole and live to tell the tale?
