News / Local
Maid delivers, keeps baby in bush
21 Jul 2015 at 20:48hrs | Views
A woman, who was employed as a maid in Sizinda, Bulawayo, pulled a stunt fit for a novel when she allegedly gave birth to a baby boy and kept him in a bush where she secretly went to feed him.
Sadly, the baby that was born last Tuesday and was supposed to be constantly fed and kept warm, died on Wednesday night allegedly due to cold weather.
The woman identified by residents as Thembelihle Thebe's alleged acts were discovered on Sunday when she was followed by residents who had seen her frequently visiting the place where she had "dumped" the baby.
According to a resident, who requested anonymity, Thebe, who was hiding her pregnancy, went into labour on Tuesday evening on her way to the shops where she had been sent by her employer to buy bread.
After she felt labour pains, she is alleged to have rushed to a bushy area behind Richard Shops in Sizinda, and without anybody around to help her, delivered the baby, allegedly breastfed him and wrapped him with her jersey before she abandoned him.
She went back the following morning to check his condition before she breastfed him.
"The matter, however, came to light after the death of the child. This was after some residents who had seen her frequently visiting the bush became suspicious and decided to follow her. On Sunday after secretly following her, they saw her standing near the body of her dead child and upon being questioned she confessed that it was the body of her child who she had dumped soon after giving birth on Tuesday evening. She said she dumped the baby in the bush and went back the following day to breastfeed him before he died during the night.
"Further investigations revealed that she had been hiding the pregnancy from her employer and sister who quizzed her after they suspected that she was pregnant.
"Her employer also revealed that on the day she gave birth, she became suspicious after she saw drops of blood on the floor in the house and when she asked her she professed ignorance," said a resident.
The matter was, however, reported to the police leading to the arrest of Thebe who is likely to be charged with infanticide.
Sadly, the baby that was born last Tuesday and was supposed to be constantly fed and kept warm, died on Wednesday night allegedly due to cold weather.
The woman identified by residents as Thembelihle Thebe's alleged acts were discovered on Sunday when she was followed by residents who had seen her frequently visiting the place where she had "dumped" the baby.
According to a resident, who requested anonymity, Thebe, who was hiding her pregnancy, went into labour on Tuesday evening on her way to the shops where she had been sent by her employer to buy bread.
After she felt labour pains, she is alleged to have rushed to a bushy area behind Richard Shops in Sizinda, and without anybody around to help her, delivered the baby, allegedly breastfed him and wrapped him with her jersey before she abandoned him.
"The matter, however, came to light after the death of the child. This was after some residents who had seen her frequently visiting the bush became suspicious and decided to follow her. On Sunday after secretly following her, they saw her standing near the body of her dead child and upon being questioned she confessed that it was the body of her child who she had dumped soon after giving birth on Tuesday evening. She said she dumped the baby in the bush and went back the following day to breastfeed him before he died during the night.
"Further investigations revealed that she had been hiding the pregnancy from her employer and sister who quizzed her after they suspected that she was pregnant.
"Her employer also revealed that on the day she gave birth, she became suspicious after she saw drops of blood on the floor in the house and when she asked her she professed ignorance," said a resident.
The matter was, however, reported to the police leading to the arrest of Thebe who is likely to be charged with infanticide.
Source - b-metro
