'Baby slayer mum' goes for psychiatric evaluation

THE 22-YEAR-OLD Victoria Falls woman who on Tuesday allegedly beheaded her eight-month-old daughter before attempting to commit suicide has been sent for a psychiatric evaluation.

Louislonh Gurajena Siziba showed signs of erratic behaviour since she became pregnant last year, according to her lawyer, who successfully requested a court to order a mental examination.

At one point, said lawyer Thulani Nkala, she disappeared from her maternal grandmother's homestead in Ndlovu village, BH 24, where she was staying, prompting a search by villagers who found her in the bush, sitting next to her daughter who was laid on the ground.

Siziba appeared before Hwange magistrate Portia Mhlanga yesterday charged with the murder of her daughter, Nomawethu Ncube.

Nkala immediately applied that she be examined by two medical doctors under the Mental Health Act, which the magistrate granted.

Siziba appeared unaware that she killed her daughter when she was told about her burial.

The alleged killer mum, who fell pregnant after her final Advanced Level  examinations at Tennyson Hlabangana, was remanded in custody to May 23.

Chronicle visited the village yesterday and found the homestead deserted as her grandmother, identified only as MaKhumalo, was not at home.

Villagers said they were still in shock over the horrific incident. They said Siziba was suddenly withdrawn and would not utter a word after allegedly killing her baby.

"We've never seen such a thing but she didn't appear to be mentally disturbed although you could tell that something was troubling her," said village head, Andrew Siwela.

"We're still trying to figure out how she did it. She took an axe but the handle came off. That's when she took a knife and sharpened it and cut the baby's neck. She wanted to kill herself, but I think she failed and just sat beside the body after covering it with her own jersey.

"The only words she uttered were 'ngingenwe ngusathane' when asked by Neighbourhood Watch Committee members who arrested her and after that she would just stare at people without saying anything. We've heard of people killing each other in a fight but not this, the whole community is shocked."

Another villager said they suspected that Siziba, who is orphaned, was being abused by her grandmother.

"She was always stressed and everyone felt sorry for her because she would herd cattle in the bush leaving her daughter at home and whenever she couldn't find the cattle, her grandmother would shout and send her away at night until she brought the cattle. Some villagers would round up the cattle for her in sympathy," said a villager.

On Tuesday, villagers say Siziba was harvesting with her grandmother in the field and she sent her to the shops to send money through EcoCash. It is claimed she found the shop closed and went back home, but her grandmother would have none of it as she allegedly shouted at her.

The councillor for the area, Martin Ndlovu, said he spoke to her last week and had promised to take her to her former school to pay the outstanding fees to enable her to collect results.

"This shocked everyone and we suspect she was too stressed. I knew her mother and I wanted to assist her. She told me she had not collected her results. On a day when we were harvesting together, she appeared lost in mind but we never suspected she could do such a thing," said Clr Ndlovu.

The father of the slain baby is in South Africa and reportedly sent her some groceries and clothes for the daughter last week.