News / Regional
Newbornly born baby rescued from pit latrine
10 Aug 2015 at 02:34hrs | Views
Fil photo - Pit latrine
A Beitbridge school teacher recently saved a newly-born child from an
imminent death after it had been thrown into a pit latrine.
Big Ndlovu who takes Grade 7 at Jopempe Primary School went on to effect a citizen's arrest of the offending mother now serving a sentence for the offence.
Ndlovu quickly responded to his children who reported hearing a baby wailing from the Blair latrine and went to investigate.
"It was dark in the pit and we lowered a candle and there, wrapped in a towel was a healthy-looking baby," said Ndlovu.
With the assistance of another teacher they dispersed a crowd and got down to business.
A student suggested against digging and said they could fish out the baby who still was with his umbilical cord and the placenta intact.
Miraculously they lowered two candles on the sides of the baby and were able to hook the placenta, the baby's foot and arm and carefully fished the infant to the hole of the latrine.
"I then inserted both my hands through the hole and took out the bouncing child, a girl. The baby latched to the ropes was out in less than five seconds," said Ndlovu.
He said the student then fished out the towel later used to identify the culprit.
Ndlovu said they approached the village head who assembled the women and when the towel was exhibited one woman expressed shock leading to the identification and arrest of her friend.
"She was taken to Beitbridge District Hospital where she was reunited with her child whom she breastfed.
Later the woman was taken to court where she was convicted of baby-dumping. Being a first offender who pleased guilty her custodial sentence was commuted to community service.
In mitigation the woman told court
that she feared her husband returning from a 10-year jail term would
not accept that considering she had two children born after he was
jailed.
She is doing community service at Jopempi Primary School and Ndlovu said after she showed remorse, the community had forgiven her.
"I named the child Kangelweni (Forgive)," said Ndlovu who said the woman was reunited with her husband.
"They have been counseled," said Ndlovu.
Big Ndlovu who takes Grade 7 at Jopempe Primary School went on to effect a citizen's arrest of the offending mother now serving a sentence for the offence.
Ndlovu quickly responded to his children who reported hearing a baby wailing from the Blair latrine and went to investigate.
"It was dark in the pit and we lowered a candle and there, wrapped in a towel was a healthy-looking baby," said Ndlovu.
With the assistance of another teacher they dispersed a crowd and got down to business.
A student suggested against digging and said they could fish out the baby who still was with his umbilical cord and the placenta intact.
Miraculously they lowered two candles on the sides of the baby and were able to hook the placenta, the baby's foot and arm and carefully fished the infant to the hole of the latrine.
"I then inserted both my hands through the hole and took out the bouncing child, a girl. The baby latched to the ropes was out in less than five seconds," said Ndlovu.
He said the student then fished out the towel later used to identify the culprit.
Ndlovu said they approached the village head who assembled the women and when the towel was exhibited one woman expressed shock leading to the identification and arrest of her friend.
"She was taken to Beitbridge District Hospital where she was reunited with her child whom she breastfed.
Later the woman was taken to court where she was convicted of baby-dumping. Being a first offender who pleased guilty her custodial sentence was commuted to community service.
She is doing community service at Jopempi Primary School and Ndlovu said after she showed remorse, the community had forgiven her.
"I named the child Kangelweni (Forgive)," said Ndlovu who said the woman was reunited with her husband.
"They have been counseled," said Ndlovu.
Source - Byo24News via WhatsApp
