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Fungai Jachi Court Correspondent
A 30-year-old Harare woman allegedly used the umbilical cord to strangle her newly-born before stuffing body in a plastic bag for disposal, the court heard on Friday. Delight Gapese appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo charged with infanticide and was remanded to November 11. Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that on October 10 this year, Gapese was hired as a maid by Passmore Chapata and his wife Bridget.
It is alleged that Passmore inquired from Gapese if she was pregnant from the way she looked. The court heard that Gapese said she was not and was offered the job as the couple’s maid. It was the State’s case that on the night of October 22 Passmore heard a baby’s cry and went to check on his minor son who was sleeping in another room.
He found him fast asleep and retired to bed without checking in other rooms. The State further alleged that the following day, a foul smell started coming from Gapese’s bedroom and Bridget asked her to thoroughly clean the room. The odour persisted and when interrogated by Bridget, Gapese confessed that she had given birth to a baby boy at night and killed him soon after.
Gapese told Bridget she had strangled the baby with the umbilical cord, wrapped it in a cloth before stuffing it in a plastic bag which she hung in the garage. Passmore and Bridget reported the matter to the police.
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