Abortion concoction kills grade 7 pupil

A SCHOOL-GOING teenage girl from Dundubala area in Insuza, Matabeleland North Province died after allegedly taking a concoction for abortion given to her by her grandmother.

It has become a topical issue in the area that a 13-year old Grade 7 pupil died after allegedly drinking a herbal concoction to terminate pregnancy.

The girl fell pregnant in September but to her grandmother that was a hitter pall to swallow. A family member said the granny was facing a hard time from family members.

"The granny gave the girl a mixture of muthi to drink so that she would abort. Unfortunately their plan turned nasty. The girl started to have a running tummy that shocked everyone. We got worried when she started to release blood unfortunately she died on 25 October at Mpilo referral hospital," said a family member.

After that the heat turned on the granny.

"The mother of the late girl was fuming and at first refused to attend the funeral. But finally she attended after the intervention of elders. She was claiming her mother did that deliberately so as to use the spirit of the child for her witchcraft powers " said a family member.

Speaking to B-Metro on the phone the granny said she gave her late granddaughter medicine to cure stomach ache.

"My granddaughter used to complain of stomach ache. I gave her the medicine to cure that unfortunately she died after taking it I didn't know that she was pregnant I discovered that after seeing the medical report," said the granny.

The matter was reported to the police. Efforts to get a comment from Matabeleland North province police were however, fruitless.

Village head of the area Jeffrey Masuku confirmed the incident.

"We are troubled by the incident We have talked to the family although there was tension but now peace prevails," said Masuku.