A 19-YEAR-OLD maid who worked for a family from Nkulumane suburb in
Bulawayo has been arrested after she strangled and slit her newborn baby’s
throat.
Happiness Ndebele worked for Ms Typhania Ngwenya who
suspected that she was pregnant.
The maid pleaded guilty to a charge of infanticide when she
appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndlovu. Ndebele was
sentenced to 36 months in jail which were suspended on condition that she
performs 210 hours of community service at a local primary school.
The maid told the court that she didn’t know why she killed
her baby. “I don’t know what really made me kill the baby,” she said.
The court heard that Ndebele has a two-year-old child. Prosecuting,
Mr Tony Kamudyariwa said on April 15, Ndebele was asked by Ms Ngwenya if she
was pregnant.
“Ndebele denied being pregnant. On Friday last week during
the night, she gave birth to a baby and strangled it before cutting its neck,”
he said.
While Ms Ngwenya was escorting her mother to the toilet, she
noticed blood stains in the house, the court heard.
She went to her maid’s bedroom and there was blood all over
the room and a funny smell.
Mr Kamudyariwa said Ms Ngwenya asked her maid what was
happening and she said she was on her monthly period.
“Ms Ngwenya threatened Ndebele that if she did not tell her
the truth she would call the police. Ndebele told her that she had given birth
and killed the baby,” said the prosecutor.
Ndebele was taken to the police station where she was
arrested. A post mortem report was produced in court as an exhibit.
Chronicle
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