Online Reporter
Ray Bande in Mutare
THE woman filmed while brutally spanking a minor that has gone viral on social media is yet to be arrested as police carry out investigations to ensure the law takes course.
“The ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police) has taken note of a disturbing video circulating on social media platforms, showing a woman severely assaulting a minor whose hands and legs are tied. The ZRP strongly condemns such inhumane and degrading treatment of children. Investigations into the incident are currently underway, with a view to identifying the suspect involved and ensuring that the law takes its course. The public will be kept informed of any developments,” police said on their official X handle.
Sources in Manicaland close to the incident said the incident took place in the Jombe area of Honde Valley, and not Bocha as indicated in widespread social media reports.
The nation woke up to a nerve-wracking video clip of a supposedly middle-aged woman tying both the legs and hands while mercilessly whipping the minor.
The yet to be identified woman is seen on the four minutes, 55 seconds long clip beating the child.
The child is seen and heard desperately pleading for forgiveness, wriggling and wailing in severe pain as the seemingly possessed woman viciously descended on him.
After a few moments, the woman is filmed taking another string, with the help of other three minors, to further tie the hands, ostensibly to limit the minor’s wriggling in order to allow unperturbed landing of the sjambok on the minor’s body.
Later, the woman sits on the upper body of the minor and starts spanking from close range.
The minor continued wailing in pain but the persistent plea for forgiveness found no taker.
As the ruthless beating continued, the woman orders the child to make a hole in the ground to spit and declare never do it again, an instruction that was almost impossible since the child was tied both hands and legs.
The minor eventually manages to sit, drill a hole into ground, spat and declared never to do anything wrong again.
The video clip has triggered an outpouring of sympathy for the youngster and outright ridicule for the woman.
Inferences from the utterances in the clip seem to indicate the child’s crime was failure to do household chores while social media reports claim the minor was being punished for eating bread at a neighbour’s house.
Mathias Madakadze, a netizen commenting on the matter on social media platform Facebook, said: “This is just satanic. Why do heavens give such people children? This woman belongs to prison.”
Stephen Checha took to X (formerly Twitter), saying, “This woman must be located at all costs. This is just not right. The person who also filmed the clip must be held accountable. We should never tolerate such torture to our young ones.”
Hope for Zimbabwe Children (HFZC) said they will travel to the area on Monday November 24, 2025 to ensure justice for the child.
“Of the cruel woman beating child – Thank you so much for sharing the information below. To send additional information may you please WhatsApp HFZC on 077 369 5325,” HFZC said in a post on Facebook.
