News / National
Man turns against his woman in court
12 Oct 2014 at 05:46hrs | Views
A 25-YEAR-OLD man, who is accused of conniving with his lover to bury their stillborn baby secretly, turned against his woman in court and raised doubts on whether the pregnancy was his.
Mthulisi Tshuma of Mzila Village in Mphoengs area in Mangwe District said he recently caught the woman, Simorden Sibanda, who is six years older than him, with another man.
The two are alleged to have buried their stillborn baby on a riverbed.
Tshuma denied having assisted his lover in burying the body.
"I had no hand in burying the baby. I only learnt that she had done it like everyone else because she did not tell me that she had given birth. She also kept the issue a secret to me," he said. He said he would have never helped Sibanda to bury the baby as they were on separation as he caught her with another man.
Tshuma said the incident left him doubting whether the baby belonged to him.
He said if the baby belonged to him, Sibanda had no right to bury it without informing him of her misfortune.
Sibanda, however, insisted that her lover advised her to bury the baby in a river so that it would not be used for witchcraft purposes.
She said Tshuma had pointed out that since their area had a lot of witchcraft cases they had to bury it in secret as their neighbours might dig up the body.
"He is just turning against me now because he realises what we did is a crime," she said.
The lovers appeared before Plumtree magistrate Mr Livard Philemon facing concealment of birth charges. Prosecuting, Mr Stanley Chinyanganya said the two accused person's buried the baby on 16 August.
"On 16 August around 4am Sibanda gave birth to a stillborn baby and advised her boyfriend. On the same day around 9am they proceeded to a river where they dug a hole and concealed the baby inside and they did not inform anyone," he said.
The matter came to light after the woman's neighbour realised that Sibanda was no longer pregnant. She questioned her but the accused person refused to tell the truth and her neighbour alerted the police who questioned her until she confessed to burying the baby.
Mr Philemon told the pair that they would be advised of their next court date by way of summons as the State is waiting for a medical report to ascertain whether Sibanda gave birth or aborted.
Mthulisi Tshuma of Mzila Village in Mphoengs area in Mangwe District said he recently caught the woman, Simorden Sibanda, who is six years older than him, with another man.
The two are alleged to have buried their stillborn baby on a riverbed.
Tshuma denied having assisted his lover in burying the body.
"I had no hand in burying the baby. I only learnt that she had done it like everyone else because she did not tell me that she had given birth. She also kept the issue a secret to me," he said. He said he would have never helped Sibanda to bury the baby as they were on separation as he caught her with another man.
Tshuma said the incident left him doubting whether the baby belonged to him.
He said if the baby belonged to him, Sibanda had no right to bury it without informing him of her misfortune.
Sibanda, however, insisted that her lover advised her to bury the baby in a river so that it would not be used for witchcraft purposes.
She said Tshuma had pointed out that since their area had a lot of witchcraft cases they had to bury it in secret as their neighbours might dig up the body.
"He is just turning against me now because he realises what we did is a crime," she said.
The lovers appeared before Plumtree magistrate Mr Livard Philemon facing concealment of birth charges. Prosecuting, Mr Stanley Chinyanganya said the two accused person's buried the baby on 16 August.
"On 16 August around 4am Sibanda gave birth to a stillborn baby and advised her boyfriend. On the same day around 9am they proceeded to a river where they dug a hole and concealed the baby inside and they did not inform anyone," he said.
The matter came to light after the woman's neighbour realised that Sibanda was no longer pregnant. She questioned her but the accused person refused to tell the truth and her neighbour alerted the police who questioned her until she confessed to burying the baby.
Mr Philemon told the pair that they would be advised of their next court date by way of summons as the State is waiting for a medical report to ascertain whether Sibanda gave birth or aborted.
Source - Sunday News
