Parents of late child bride Memory Machaya caught up in messy cover-up

By Fitzgerald Munyoro | Nehanda Courts |

MUTARE- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) are pressing charges against the parents of the late 14 year old child bride Anna Machaya (erroneously referred to as Memory Machaya) for obstruction and defeating the course of justice.

Additionally, the ZRP is also charging the parents identified as Edmore Machaya (45) and Shy Mabika (39) of pledging a minor after attempting to hand over another minor (aged 9) to the deceased’s alleged husband and chief suspect.

This was revealed in a statement released by the ZRP that was detailing the preliminary findings into the investigation of the death of Anna Machaya who is said to have died after giving birth to a baby boy at an apostolic shrine in Marange.

Police investigators have said that during their inquiries into the matter, the parents availed to them a national identity card belonging to a Memory Machaya that showed the date of birth as 2nd of January 1999.

This would mean the deceased was 22 years old at the time of her death and not 14 years old as indicated in various reports that circulated in media.

“The Police is also pressing charges against Edmore Machaya (45) and Shy Mabika (36) for obstructing and defeating the course of justice.”

“The parents openly lied to the police that Anna Machaya was born on the 2nd of January 1999. The mother went on to give police investigators a national ID in a bid to prove that she was born on 2nd of January 1999. This was false,” read part of the statement.

However, the statement reports that further investigations by the police would reveal that the identification documents presented to the police as belonging to the deceased actually belonged to another Memory Machaya, who is a daughter to Ernest Machaya, who is an uncle to the deceased.

School records obtained from Mhondoro proved that Memory Machaya and Anna Machaya were two different people.

The correct birth certificates also showed Anna Machaya as having been born on the 5th of July 2008 and indicated that Shy Mabika and Edmore Machaya are her birth parents.

Meanwhile, the court hearing for Hatirarami Momberume (Evans Momberume) (26) the alleged husband of the deceased initially failed to take off at the Mutare Magistrate’s court last week.

Momberume is facing charges of rape or alternatively contravening section 70 of the criminal code.

A prosecutor who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity said the court was meant to hear the case last Thursday at 11am.

Social media opinion leaders, local artists and international civic organizations have spoken out against the death of the 14 year old girl and the practice of child marriages which is rampant amongst the apostolic sects in Marange.

According to statistics presented by the United Nations, 1 in every 3 Zimbabwean girls is highly likely to be married of before reaching the age of 18. Nehanda Radio