Woman removes niece's teeth

A 35-year-old Plumtree woman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after launching a violent cross-border assault on her two nieces in Botswana, resulting in one of the victims losing her teeth.

Sharon Moyo was convicted of assault by Plumtree magistrate Joshua Nembaware following shocking details of abuse and unlawful cross-border actions that emerged during her trial.

According to the prosecution, led by Selestine Madziwa, the incident occurred on May 2 when Moyo tracked down her nieces, Mitchel Moyo (17) and Thandiwe Ndlovu (18), who had crossed into Botswana. Accusing them of theft, Moyo enlisted the help of unidentified thugs to tie the teenagers with chains before viciously assaulting them using a sjambok - a heavy leather whip.

During the attack, Ndlovu sustained serious injuries, including the loss of teeth, after Moyo forcefully removed them.

Not content with the beating, Moyo then forcibly transported the two girls back to Zimbabwe. Once at her home, she forced them to work throughout the night in her fields as a form of punishment.

The court described the assault as cruel and inhumane, with Magistrate Nembaware condemning Moyo's actions as both unlawful and grossly disproportionate to any alleged wrongdoing by the teenagers.

Moyo was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, with no portion of the sentence suspended.

Authorities are reportedly investigating whether additional cross-border offences were committed, including human trafficking and abduction, given that the initial assaults took place in Botswana and the victims were forcibly returned to Zimbabwe.

The case has raised alarm over incidents of cross-border violence and the vulnerability of young people in border communities, with calls for tighter enforcement of laws protecting minors from abuse and exploitation.