8-year-old girl dies after boiling water 'treatment' by stepdad

AN eight-year-old girl from Lupane district in Matabeleland North province died from severe burns sustained after she was assaulted and forced to sit on a tin with boiling water by her stepfather.

The girl's stepfather who is also accused of raping her several times, was apprehended by villagers and handed over to the police last Saturday.

Levius Ncube (39) of Moya Village under Chief Mabhikwa was cornered in a bush by villagers who effected citizen's arrest.

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident.

"Police are investigating a case of murder which occurred in Moya Village in Lupane. A male adult aged 39 assaulted his eight-year-old stepdaughter and she sustained a swollen eye.

"In bid to treat her, the stepfather boiled some water and covered the eight-year-old with a blanket. She lost consciousness, fell on the bucket and got burnt. She later passed away the following day and the accused person ran away," she said.

Chief Mabhikwa said the man had before forcing the girl to sit on the tin with boiling water, raped her several times.

"It is only now that neighbours are revealing that Ncube constantly abused his stepchild.

"Now a life has been lost and yet if this kind of abuse had been reported, the man could have been arrested a long time ago before the death of this girl," he said.

The chief urged people to report cases of child abuse to the authorities.

"I am glad villagers worked closely together and hunted down the man who fled from home soon after realising that he had killed the child," said the Chief.

A villager who spoke on condition of anonymity said days earlier, they had heard that Ncube had raped the girl.

"To conceal the offence, Ncube boiled some water and instructed the girl to sit on the tin with boiling water and she complied resulting in her sustaining severe burns on the buttocks," said the villager.

The girl died a day later from the burns she sustained and Ncube disappeared from home until his arrest by villagers.