Man whips toddler to death for bedwetting

IN an incident that has been described as brutal and inhumane, a 29-year-old Nkayi man fatally assaulted a one and a half-year-old toddler who was his stepdaughter, saying he was chastising the child for bedwetting and crying too much.

The harrowing incident that left the community shell-shocked occurred in Tokwe area in Nkayi when Mpikayipheli Nxumalo (29) assaulted his stepdaughter Primrose with a whip for alleged bedwetting and too much crying.

Nxumalo appeared before Nkayi district magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku on Tuesday last week facing charges of murder as defined in section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

He was remanded in custody to July 17, 2012.

The State case as presented by the prosecutor Mr Maxwell Hapanyengwi was that on 26 June this year Nxumalo assaulted his one and a half-years old stepdaughter Primrose to death with a whip alleging that he was chastising the toddler for bedwetting tendencies and too much crying.

It was the State case that on the day in question Nxumalo was irked by the toddler's cry and he whipped her until she fell unconscious.

The court further heard that Nxumalo continued assaulting the toddler and that her unconsciousness did nothing to deter him.

The girl never gained consciousness and died as a result of excessive beating.

The case was reported to the police in Nkayi leading to  Nxumalo's arrest and his subsequent appearance in court where he said he was simply chastising the child for her misbehaviour.

The body of the girl was taken to a Bulawayo hospital for postmortem.

Nxumalo was not represented in court.