adminSalani Ncube Chronicle Reporter
A ZAMBIAN woman has been arrested in Victoria Falls after she allegedly dumped her two minor twins at the Victoria Falls Border Post. The tots, a boy and a girl, are 28 months old and are being kept at the Victoria Falls Police Station. It is alleged that the father, Edmond Mutsinze who is a truck driver, is unwell at his rural home in Chivhu.
Mutsinze was supposed to meet the twins’ mother Constance Sililo, 32, of Indego Extension in Livingstone, Zambia, in Victoria Falls on Thursday. She told investigators she dumped the babies after Mutsinze failed to show up. Sililo was charged with exposing an infant when she appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Rangarirai Gakanje yesterday.
The magistrate did not ask her to plead and remanded her in custody to Tuesday.
Prosecuting, Onias Nyathi said: “The accused approached Felistas Murambe who is employed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Department at the border and asked her to look after the children while she visited the toilet. Sililo disappeared.”
The court heard Mutsinze and Sililo met in 2014 and they had twins.
In her statement, Sililo said: “We were supposed to meet to talk about the children but he didn’t come. I didn’t go anywhere as I love my kids,” she said.
“Since the children were born, their father has never supported them and I’ve been struggling. I’ve other children to take care of which is why I wanted him to look after his children.”
Murambe told police Sililo approached her with the two children and asked her to take care of them while she went to the toilet.
“I didn’t suspect any foul play until time lapsed and she hadn’t come back,” said Murambe.
After some time, Murambe reportedly went to check in the toilet and discovered that Sililo had disappeared, the court heard.
She reported the matter to the police and investigations led to Sililo’s arrest.
Chronicle saw the children at the Victoria Falls Police Station yesterday and police said they were likely to be taken to the Department of Social Welfare, depending on the court’s ruling.
Online Reporter