TEN YEARS FOR KIDNAPPING
. . . children reunited with parents after a decade
A 48-YEAR-OLD Rusape woman has been sentenced to 10 years for kidnapping two newly-born babies in 2013 and 2015 and raising them as her own.
Enator Marumani pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo who slapped her with a five-year jail term on each count.
However, two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
On the first count, the court heard that Natasha Chikwanha gave birth to a baby boy on May 21, 2013, at Zengeza Clinic, in Chitungwiza.
After three weeks, she developed chest pains and went to Chitungwiza Central Hospital where she was referred to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
On June 13, 2013, Chikwanha went to Sally Mugabe Hospital where she was treated and discharged on the same day.
But, due to the pain, she couldn’t walk properly and lay down in the hospital premises with her three-week-old baby.
Marumani, who had visited the hospital with the intention to steal a baby, noticed Chikwanha and approached her posing as a Good Samaritan.
She offered to help Chikwanha with the baby, and the two boarded a kombi going to town, with Marumani carrying the baby.
At Market Square, Marumani asked Chikwanha to accompany her to the Gulf Complex where she wanted to collect some money.
At the complex, Chikwanha couldn’t climb the stairs because she was unwell, and decided to wait downstairs.
Marumani gave Chikwanha $2 to buy a drink and she vanished with the baby.
Marumani took the baby to Rusape where she lied to her husband Noel Gutu that she had given birth to a baby boy and they named him Joseph Gutu.
According to Gutu’s statement, he had questioned Marumani why her stomach wasn’t growing and she said it was the nature of her womb.
He said the baby wasn’t being breastfed and milk wasn’t coming out.
On the second count, Marumani heard that Martha Ndinodyeyi (34) had given birth to a baby boy at home on April 26, 2015.
On June 23 of the same year, Ndinodyeyi was in Mbare selling brooms when she was approached by Marumani who posed as a customer.
Ndinodyeyi was told by council officials to move to another place and the baby started crying.
Marumani volunteered to hold the baby before disappearing.
On June 13 this year, Gutu wasn’t satisfied that Marumani had given birth and reported the matter to the police.
Marumani failed to produce the children’s birth records, leading to her arrest.