News / Local
Child killed for crying
05 Dec 2020 at 01:12hrs | Views
A BEITBRIDGE man is on the run for allegedly beating his three-year-old stepdaughter to death because she was crying when he wanted to catch some sleep on Wednesday morning.
Mulaleli Sibanda sneaked out of the house and disappeared just after his stepdaughter, Charmaine Moyo, was pronounced dead on arrival at Beitbridge District Hospital.
He has been on the run since Thursday, when the incident occurred at dawn.
Acting Matabeleland South police spokesman Inspector Loveless Mangena confirmed the incident which occurred in Makhavhane Village under Beitbridge Rural Police.
She said the incident occurred at around 4am when Charmaine started crying while sharing the same room with her mother Phathisiwe Dube and stepfather Sibanda.
The latter got irritated and started beating the child.
"He beat her with clenched fists and kicked the child who started bleeding from the nose, ears and mouth.
"He continued assaulting the toddler, but agreed to take the child to hospital. Sibanda sneaked away when the child was a pronounced dead on arrival," Mangena said.
"We are waiting for a post-mortem. The body currently stored at Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary," she said.
In an unrelated incident, seven people were robbed at gunpoint by two unidentified men who drove away in their victims' Honda Fit car with groceries worth R4 760 and cash amounting to US$3 300.
Mangena said the men placed a boulder forcing the car to stop on a road leading from an undesignated point along the Limpopo River near National Parks and Wildlife cottages.
"When the driver got out to remove the stone the armed men pounced and ordered everyone out of the car which they drove away with its grocery contents and cash," Mangena said.
"We advise people to desist from these illegal points because they risk arrest and losing their valuables like in this case.
"They can also be charged for smuggling.
"We are however appealing to anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects."
Mulaleli Sibanda sneaked out of the house and disappeared just after his stepdaughter, Charmaine Moyo, was pronounced dead on arrival at Beitbridge District Hospital.
He has been on the run since Thursday, when the incident occurred at dawn.
Acting Matabeleland South police spokesman Inspector Loveless Mangena confirmed the incident which occurred in Makhavhane Village under Beitbridge Rural Police.
She said the incident occurred at around 4am when Charmaine started crying while sharing the same room with her mother Phathisiwe Dube and stepfather Sibanda.
The latter got irritated and started beating the child.
"He beat her with clenched fists and kicked the child who started bleeding from the nose, ears and mouth.
"He continued assaulting the toddler, but agreed to take the child to hospital. Sibanda sneaked away when the child was a pronounced dead on arrival," Mangena said.
In an unrelated incident, seven people were robbed at gunpoint by two unidentified men who drove away in their victims' Honda Fit car with groceries worth R4 760 and cash amounting to US$3 300.
Mangena said the men placed a boulder forcing the car to stop on a road leading from an undesignated point along the Limpopo River near National Parks and Wildlife cottages.
"When the driver got out to remove the stone the armed men pounced and ordered everyone out of the car which they drove away with its grocery contents and cash," Mangena said.
"We advise people to desist from these illegal points because they risk arrest and losing their valuables like in this case.
"They can also be charged for smuggling.
"We are however appealing to anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects."
Source - newsday
