The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa Weekender Correspondent
A MARANGE woman who buried her baby boy alive soon after giving birth was last week sentenced to 350 hours of community service.
In her defence, Florence Chinyamunguri told the court that she had no other option, but to kill her newly born baby boy as she could not afford to look after him since she had another 14-month-old baby.
Chinyamunguri appeared before Mutare magistrate, Miss Perseverance Makala.
Mr Fletcher Karombe represented the State. The 23-year-old woman admitted to giving birth to a live baby boy at around 4pm on May 22 at her homestead in Majecha Village in Chief Marange’s area.
She gave birth while she was alone since her relatives and husband had gone to their workplaces.
After giving birth, Chinyamunguri took the child to a nearby maize field near their cattle pen, dug a 40-centimetres deep hole and placed the naked child in the hole.
She covered the baby with soil and grass. She buried the child alive and naked.
An hour later, Robert Mangondo who was herding his cattle heard a baby crying just outside his cattle pen and informed other villagers who exhumed the baby.
The baby was ferried to Marange Clinic for medication, but passed away on their way to the clinic.
Chinyamunguri was interrogated by Varaidzo Rutaya and admitted that she was the one who had given birth to a live child and buried him alive.
She was being charged with the crime of infanticide as defined in Section 48 (1) (a) or (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
Miss Makala ordered her to commit 350 hours of unpaid work at Marange Clinic.
