Marange teen mother's parents face arrest

POLICE yesterday said they had arrested Hatirarami Momberume, also known as Evans Momberume (26), following the alleged death of a 14-year-old minor on July 15 while giving birth at the Johane Marange Apostolic sect shrine in Mafararikwa, Manicaland.

Momberume is facing charges of rape or alternatively contravening section 70 of the code.

The police also said the minor's parents were facing arrest for faking identity documents of their deceased daughter in a bid to conceal the crime.

The minor died after developing complications while giving birth at the shrine and the matter was concealed until early this month. According to police investigations, the deceased's first name was Anna Machaya (15) although, she had been previously identified as Memory Machaya.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday said that the deceased's first name was Anna and not Memory as indicated in documents submitted by her parents.

Nyathi said girl's parents sought to defeat the course of justice by submitting the birth certificate of deceased's 22-year-old cousin, Memory in a vain attempt to protect the minor's"rapist"husband Momberume.

Momberume was supposed to appear at Mutare Magistrates Court yesterday, but the matter was postponed to today.

Nyathi said police were pressing criminal charges against the deceased's mother, Shy Mabika (36) and father Edmore Machaya (45) for obstructing the course of justice.

"Memory Machaya (22) is alive and is actually married to a man called Lameck Makonye alias Sigodhla (54) in Mhondoro. We want to tell Zimbabweans that the person who died is not Memory Machaya. The person who died is Anna Machaya. Memory is alive," Nyathi said.

"It is clear they were hiding information and it is clear that they also produced fake documents in a bid to hide the death of Anna Machaya. Information that was being presented was now indicating as if Anna was born in 1999, meaning to say that the person by now is an adult, yet in actual fact, she was born in 2006 meaning to say by now she is 15 years old and was married off when she was a minor.

"The parents lied to the police that Anna Machaya was born on January 2, 1999. The mother went on to give police investigators a national identity card in a bid to prove that she was born on January 2, 1999. This was false. Investigations have revealed that the identity card produced to the police belonged to a namesake of the late minor, who is a daughter to Ernest Machaya. This is an uncle to the late Anna Machaya. It is through school records in Mhondoro that the police proved that the late Anna Machaya was born on July 5, 2006 to Edmore Machaya and Shy Mabika. The police have obtained the correct birth certificate copies in respect of Memory Machaya (22) and the late Anna Machaya (15). These are two different people."

Nyathi appealed for more information on Johane Marange sect members marrying off minor children.

Machaya's death triggered a global outcry from child rights defenders with the United Nations and several other non-governmental organisations calling on government to end child marriages. Yesterday, different girls from Johane Marange and Johane Masowe Apostolic sects pleaded with stakeholders during a virtual discussion by the Female Students Network to intervene and end early child marriages.

Apostolic sect member Moline Mukomawasha, a University of Zimbabwe student, opened up, saying she had witnessed several girls in the sect being married off.

"Sexual exploitation and the practice of cultural processes happen at apostolic sects, especially the Johane Marange sect," Mukomawasha said.

"There is also the issue of the virginity tests which is done using unhygienic methods where fingers are inserted into a girl's reproductive parts. Those that have lost their virginity are forced into marriage with the people that would have impregnated them."

She said some young girls fell prey to older men during prayer sessions held at the shrines.