By Whinsley Masara
An injiva’s wife from Kezi, who fell pregnant when her husband was in South Africa, allegedly strangled her four days old baby and shoved the body down an anthill to conceal her adultery.
Police arrested Soneni Sibanda (35) of Noel Dube’s Homestead in Nhlupho village under chief Bhidi on Wednesday.
She went into labour on May 11 and was rushed to Kezi District Hospital where she delivered normally and was discharged on May 15.
Along the way home, she allegedly killed and buried the baby.
A source close to the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said reality struck Sibanda and she panicked after she had delivered and was supposed to return home with a baby who had not sired by her husband.
Her husband, Mr Noel Dube, works and is based in South Africa.
“We realised she fell pregnant during her husband’s absence. The man hadn’t come home for more than a year,” said the source.
The source said they are puzzled why the cheating woman even kept the pregnancy, only to then kill an innocent bouncing baby girl.
“MaSibanda earlier told her close friends that she had informed her husband about the ‘ungodly’ pregnancy, claiming he had not sounded bothered.
“Apparently, it seems those were all lies and we suspect reality only struck her when she was actually holding the baby and was returning home.
“Relatives and neighbours are all aware that it was not her husband who impregnated her because he had not returned home for more than one and a half years. We also think we know who she was cheating with,” said the source.
A villager said:
“She went to her home where she lives with her three children after killing her baby. She thought the matter was concealed when no one asked her about the new born baby.
“Word spread throughout the village that she had done something to her child as she did not inform anyone that the child had died or something” said the source.
She said after several days had gone by and no baby was seen, a tip-off was made to the police and investigations resulted in her arrest.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm receiving a report of a woman who tried to conceal the birth of her child by strangling and burying her in an anthill.
Villagers suspected foul play leading to her arrest.
“We urge members of the public to stay faithful to their partners to avoid such decisions at the end of the day.
“To some extent cheating has become the main reason for murders and assault among couples,” he said. The Chronicle
