Maid (21) aborts, hides foetus under the bed, dies

A 21-year-old domestic worker died after allegedly undergoing an abortion with the foetus later being found hidden under the bed. The now deceased, Sharon Ncube, of Silobela was employed as a domestic worker in the high-density suburb of Sizinda in Bulawayo and stayed with two children. It is alleged that Ncube complained of headache for two weeks before finally divulging that she was seven months pregnant and had a miscarriage.

A neighbour only identified as MaHadebe said, "Sharon complained of headache for two weeks, but i suspected that there was more to that as she was weak and she looked in terrible pain. After quizzing her, she then told me that she was pregnant, but had started bleeding. later in the day, I heard that some neighbours had ferried her to hospital because her condition had gone worse."

On the fateful day, one of the children discovered a plastic bag under the bed and when she opened it, she got the shock of her life as there was a foetus insude.

"She alerted some neighbours and the matter was reported to the police. On the following day, I visited Sharon at the hospital and when I quizzed her about what had transpired, she ignored me and kept quiet. She had recovered, but a few hours later I was surprised to hear that she had died," revealed the woman.

Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Bekimpilo Ndlovu confirmed the incident saying, "We received a report whereby a woman allegedly has a miscarriage and later died at the hospital. Preliminary investigations are underway."