'Someone exchanged my baby at the clinic'

Angered by his son's unbecoming behaviour, a Mutare woman stunned court officials that someone could have switched her baby after birth because he is not treating her like his mother.

Joyce Nezandoyi is bitter that her son, Anyway grabbed all the money when her granddaughters were married. She also claimed that he was in the habit of assaulting her, accusing her of witchcraft.

Mrs Annia Ndiraya heard the matter. Joyce told the court that she deserved to be paid more than the $7 she got since she had taken care of the children after their mother died when they were still young.

"I took custody of those children when my daughter died and what do I get after they got married? Nothing at all Your Worship, my son took all the money at both occasions," she said.

"I was supposed to be given yechiredzwa (money for bringing up the children) by their father, but my son said it was his right to get the bride price since they were brought up in our family," she said.

Apart from that, she said, Anyway assaulted her for allegedly causing the death of her husband and seven other children.

"He assaults me and sometimes I even wonder if he really is my son or maybe somebody exchanged my baby at the clinic. He says that I killed my husband and my other children. He gave me a divorce token and ordered me to go back to my parents' house," she said.

Responding to his mother's allegations, Anyway, said it was his right as the new head of the family to receive his nieces' bride price.

Mrs Ndiraya granted a protection order to Joyce Nezandoyi against her son.