adminLeonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A WIDOW who is employed as a nurse aide at Victoria Falls District Hospital has been arrested for allegedly terminating a pregnancy and flushing the foetus down the toilet.
Kusatya Jacob Chikulula, whose age was not given, appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Rangarirai Gakanje charged with unlawful termination of pregnancy.
Chikulula, whose husband died last year, pleaded not guilty to the offence. “I never terminated the pregnancy.
‘‘I was having severe abdominal pains and when I went to the toilet to relieve myself I saw blood flowing down my legs and I didn’t suspect anything.
‘‘The pregnancy was only three months old,” said Chikulula, who resides in Mfelandawonye suburb.
She was remanded out of custody on her own cognisance to today.
Police investigators were told that Chikulula resorted to the illegal action as she was allegedly afraid to be reprimanded by her late husband’s family after she fell pregnant soon after his death.
Prosecuting, Listen Nare, said Chikulula was arrested after Victoria Falls Municipality plumbers who had been called to attend to a blocked toilet, retrieved the foetus.
“Officers from the council maintenance department went to fix a blocked toilet and that’s when the discovered that there was a foetus in the sewer pipes which had blocked the system,” said the prosecutor.
A report was made to the police leading to Chikulula’s arrest.
derick.khumalo