The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A 26-YEAR-OLD Bulilima woman has been jailed after she dumped her six-year-old paralysed daughter at the homestead of her 90-year-old bed-ridden grandfather resulting in the death of the child.
Tsenulo Tshabangu of Nopemano area was convicted on her own plea of guilty to exposing an infant by Plumtree magistrate, Mr Joshua Mawere last week.
She dumped her child at her grandfather’s home and the child died a week later as the old man could not look after her.
She was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and six months were suspended on condition that she does not commit a similar offence in the next five years. The remaining six months were further suspended on condition that she performs 210 hours of community service at Tjehanga Primary School.
In her mitigation Tshabangu said she abandoned her daughter as she was struggling to look after her.
“I had two children who were both physically challenged Your Worship, the first one being the deceased and the other is six months old. I told my grandfather that I wanted to send the eldest child to her father’s homestead in Lupane area but he refused saying I can’t leave my child there as the father had not paid the bride price.
“I was struggling to look after both children alone given their condition. They were both dependant on me for everything and this was straining me. That’s why I left my child at my grandparent’s home but I didn’t think that she would later die,” she said.
Prosecuting, Mr Zorodzai Pengapenga said Tshabangu dumped her child at her grandparent’s home in a hut on 25 August around 8pm and went away without informing her grandfather.
“On 25 August Tshabangu arrived at her grandparent’s home around 8pm and left her six-year-old physically challenged daughter in a hut that she used to sleep in but didn’t inform her grandfather who is bed-ridden and went away. Her grandfather Mr Lemuhani Dube later heard the noise of a crying child coming from one of his huts in the middle of the night and went to inquire. He found his great granddaughter lying on the floor alone,” said Mr Pengapenga.
He said after a week the child died as his great grandfather was failing to feed her because of his old age. The matter was reported to the police, resulting in Tshabangu’s arrest.
