A 24-year-old Chiredzi
Zimbabwe woman has been jailed for 12 months for killing a newly-born
baby she had with her 15-year-old schoolboy lover. Vimbai Mahembe of
Village 3 in Chipimbi communal lands strangled the baby to death and
buried it in a shallow grave because she was embarrassed to face her
relatives after being impregnated by her Form 3 lover from the same
village.
Mahembe pleaded for a lenient
sentence, saying she killed the newly born baby because the father
could not look after it since he was still at school. Chiredzi
magistrate Mr Thomas Ndokera had initially sentenced Mahembe to three
years, but conditionally suspended two years after convicting her for
infanticide on her own plea of guilty.
Prosecutor Mr Liberty Hove
said on 17 April this year at around 7 pm Mahembe gave birth to a baby
boy in her bedroom hut. After giving birth, she strangled the newly born
to death and wrapped the body with a cloth before putting it in a
bucket and sneaked out to the family garden, a few metres away.
At the garden, Mahembe dug a
shallow pit and buried the infant inside before returning to her bedroom
hut. Mahembe's sister-in-law became suspicious after she saw blood all
over the floor inside the hut.
She repeatedly quizzed
Mahembe who admitted to have given birth to a baby boy and killing him
since the father could not look after him as he was still attending
secondary school. A report was made to police at Chipimbi base leading
to Mahembe's arrest.
