A disabled woman buried her newly born baby girl in a shallow grave in Zimunya. The little girl survived after she was rescued by an aunt ...
A disabled woman buried her newly born baby girl in a
shallow grave in Zimunya. The little girl survived after she was rescued by an aunt who passed by just in time.
Ruth Kazibone (25), who uses crutches had concealed her
pregnancy until she went into labour, delivered alone and tried to kill her
newly born daughter. She dragged naked girl some 200 metres before digging a
grave and burying her.
Ruth who also has one paralysed hand said she dragged the
child for about 200m before digging a shallow grave using her left hand.
She told the Manica Post that she had no crutches then, and
as such had to tie the baby with a rope and drag her. Ruth said she made
several failed attempts to abort the pregnancy, after which she opted for the
idea to conceal the pregnancy and killing the baby after birth. She alleged
that a local traditional healer Mbuya Kwembeya gave her some herbal concoction
to drink before advising her to kill the child after birth.
Ruth allegedly paid Mbuya Kwembeya a consultation fee of
$5. “All I wanted was to kill the baby because I cannot
look after her. Look at me, I only have one hand and one leg; how will I
look after the baby? I was impregnated, for the second time, by the
same man who made me pregnant when I was staying with my parents, so I
was ashamed,” she said.
Mbuya Kwembeya vehemently denied
advising Ruth to kill the child.
“She came here looking for help and I helped her. Ruth was
crying and I helped her because of the state she was in and now she is pointing
an accusing finger at me. She wanted medicine that I usually give to expectant
mothers so that they give birth smoothly and that is the concoction I gave her.
‘‘It ended there, and at no point did I advise her to kill
the baby. She is merely looking for a scapegoat and I cannot allow her to lay
blame for her actions on me. No,” the traditional healer hits back.
COMMENTS