Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A 20-YEAR-OLD Bulilima woman secretly gave birth, kept the baby in a room until it died and dumped the body in an anthill to conceal the pregnancy from her parents who work in South Africa.
Makabongwe Khupe of Nyele area who is a mother of one told Plumtree magistrate, Mr Taurai Manwere that she had not informed her parents that she was pregnant. Khupe said her boyfriend had denied responsibility.
The magistrate convicted her on her own plea of guilty to concealing birth of a child and sentenced her to four months imprisonment.
Mr Manwere wholly suspended the sentence on condition that Khupe does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
“I gave birth in secret and I didn’t tell anyone and just kept the child in the house. When I gave birth the baby was alive but a few minutes later he stopped breathing and I realised that he was dead.
“My boyfriend who is the father of my first child denied responsibility of our second child and I knew that my parents would be furious,” she said.
Prosecuting, Mr Elisha Mazorodze said Khupe who was nine months pregnant started experiencing labour pains on September 21 while she was collecting firewood.
He said she returned home as the labour pains persisted. “Khupe gave birth to a baby boy while she was alone at home. She cut the umbilical cord and threw away the placenta leaving the live baby wrapped in a blanket and stayed with him in the house,” he said.
Mr Mazorodze said Khupe dumped the baby near her home.
He said Khupe’s neighbours became suspicious after they realised that she was no longer pregnant and she did not have a baby. They alerted a member of the neighbourhood watch committee who questioned her until she revealed what had transpired.
Mr Mazorodze said the police recovered the remains of the baby resulting in Khupe’s arrest.
@DubeMatutu