Woman jailed for strangling baby
By Lindani Dube
A 21-YEAR-OLD Plumtree woman strangled her one- month-old baby girl and buried her in a shallow grave along Manzamnyama River, telling a court that her cold act was a result of desperation.
Nkazimulo Moyo of Mabhulana Line pleaded guilty to murder before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Andrew Mutema sitting on circuit in Hwange.
Justice Mutema, with Elias Ndlovu and Elizabeth Chazanga agreeing, sentenced her to 15 years in prison for murder with actual intent of which five years were wholly suspended.
Prosecutor, Namatirai Ngwasha, told how sometime in June 2012 Moyo took the baby, Gugulethu Ndlovu, from her sister, Melody Moyo’s place where they were staying.
“On her way she stopped at the river and put Gugulethu on the ground, strangled her with her bare hands causing her death and then dug a shallow grave to hide her body,” Ngwasha said.
The court heard how the child’s body was discovered by Mkhululi Ndlovu who was walking along Manzamnyama River with his nephew when dogs started digging up an object. “The corpse was in an advanced state of decomposition but a postmortem report showed a stab wound,” said Ngwasha.
The state proved beyond reasonable doubt that Moyo had premeditated the killing of her young baby.
Ndlovu took to the witness stand and said he got shocked upon seeing one of his dogs chewing what looked like a human ear with a foul smell.
“My nephew asked me what it was and since I could not really ascertain it, I told him it was a doll,” he said adding, “I grabbed his arm and we proceeded to my father’s place to tell him of what I had seen. He too could not advise but my neighbour encouraged me to inform the village head who provided a contingent which went to the shallow grave.”
Ndlovu said a report was made to the police leading to investigations that identified the baby.
Melody also took the witness stand and said Moyo had previously taken Gugulethu to the child’s father, Oscar Ndlovu, as she was struggling to take care of the child. Moyo blamed evil spirits for influencing her to commit the crime.
“While at the river evil spirits came over me and I strangled the baby because ngasengidubekile kakhulu (I had suffered enough),” she said.
Moyo said the child had a fontanelle problem (inkanda) and had drastically lost weight.
She said Oscar and his grandmother failed to raise money for the baby’s medication and instead chased her away. Out of frustration, she said when she arrived at the river she put the baby down and “strangled her by the throat until she died” and then proceeded to dig a grave to bury her “since I knew no one would sympathise with my hardship”.
Moyo, who only ended at Grade Seven level, said she loved her child and that killing her was an act of desperation as she could not provide for her.
But Justice Mutema said Moyo premeditated the chilling murder and fell short to the least of animals by going against maternal instincts.
“You could have at least dumped the child at a safe place where well-wishers could find her and preserve the sanctity of life. The murder was heinous, callous and you deserve to be punished even though you were 18 at the time of the offence,” he said.
Moyo was represented by Vuyile Mpofu. Chronicle
