VILLAGE HEAD & WIFE KILL BABY Man beats son to death in cellphone theft fight
A TSHOLOTSHO village head and his wife allegedly helped their daughter to give birth to a child whom they strangled and buried in a shallow grave because it was a disgrace that the woman had been impregnated by a herdboy.
Vijular Mlilo (69) of Dikili area and his wife Nsima Vundla (47) assisted Shemayi Mlilo (19) to deliver last Friday and then allegedly killed the new-born baby.
The couple allegedly said the father of the new-born was a “mere” herdboy, hence a disgrace to the family.
Shemayi was allegedly impregnated by their neighbour’s herdboy who was only identified as Washington.
When Washington was allegedly notified of his child’s sudden death, he suspected foul play, prompting him to report the matter to the police.
Tsholotsho Ward 16 councillor, Patrick Ngwenya, said he had since engaged the police after villagers complained that it appeared no action was being taken when a report had been made.
“Villagers approached me, fuming over the community leader’s behaviour. They are demanding that the law must take its course,” he said.
Mr Ngwenya said it was alleged that when Shemayi went into labour last week, both her parents assisted her to deliver secretly.
“One villager who saw Shemayi no longer looking pregnant on the following day, quickly informed Washington who contacted her and she confirmed having given birth to a baby boy,” said Mr Ngwenya.
He said Washington quizzed the woman about the whereabouts of the baby and was not convinced by the explanation that he was given and he reported the matter to the police.
Mr Ngwenya said it has since emerged that Shemayi delivered the baby at home and her mother ordered her to kill the new born as she left for the fields. A 58-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo allegedly beat his 35-year-old son to death after accusing him of stealing his cellphone.
Frazer Sibanda from Mpopoma suburb allegedly assaulted his son Dennis with a plank all over the body on Wednesday last week. The son died in hospital on Sunday. Sibanda allegedly lied to police that his son had died of Aids.
He produced his medical cards and claimed his son had stopped taking his medication leading to his death.
Sibanda allegedly destroyed the murder weapon but a postmortem showed his son had died as a result of a violent attack.
The accused yesterday appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Mr Stephen Ndhlovu, facing murder charges.
He was not asked to plead and
“Shemayi chickened out until her mother returned from the fields and found the baby alive. She and her husband ordered Shemayi to leave them in her bedroom where they allegedly strangled the baby. The two then waited for Shemayi’s return before digging a shallow grave in their yard and burying the baby,” he remanded in custody to April 19. Mr Ndhlovu advised Sibanda to apply for bail at the High Court. Prosecuting, Mr Petros Shoko said On March 28 at around 11PM Sibanda, his son and Francis Washington Sithole were in the sitting room. “The accused left the two in the sitting room and got into another room where he brought with him plank which was about a metre long which he used to assault his son several times all over the body accusing him of stealing his cellphone,” said Mr Shoko. He said after the assault, Sibanda allegedly destroyed the plank which he had used to assault his son. Dennis sought medical said.
Mr Ngwenya said the community was shocked by the couple’s conduct considering their ages and the husband’s status.
“How can a community leader indulge in such cruel activities, how then will he guide the community? examination on the following day as he was frothing through the mouth and he died on Sunday.
The court also heard that Sibanda went to the police to report his son’s death and he brought with him his son’s medical cards which indicated that he was on antiretroviral therapy.
Sibanda, said Mr Shoko, told the police that his son had died of Aids but the postmortem results indicated that he had died from assault.
Investigations were carried out leading to Sibanda’s arrest.
A month ago, another Bulawayo man was arrested for allegedly fatally assaulting his maid whom he was having an affair with after discovering that she was HIV positive.
Godson Zondo (36) from Emganwini suburb allegedly assaulted his maid Khethiwe Zimba with a plank all over the body in February after he discovered that she was on ART.
The maid, who was having an extra-marital affair with Zondo, had not told him that she was HIV positive.
Zimba died in hospital a day after the assault from excessive bleeding.
Zondo’s wife was working outside Bulawayo and the alleged crime is said to have been committed while she was at work.—@SlyCee10
Villagers are angry and are demanding that police officers of a higher rank look into the matter and have such people thrown into jail where they belong. I have personally communicated with the police and are looking forward to see justice being served,” he said.—@winnie_masara