Woman kills son over $5

The trial of a Chitungwiza mother who beat and killed her 10-year-old son has been for set for November 22. Merjury Mafuratidze (34) appeared before magistrate Ms Estery Chivasa facing charges of culpable homicide.

Mafuratidze made an appeal to the court to give her time to hire a lawyer.

Allegations are that on August 29, at around 11am in Zengeza 1, the now deceased Blessing Kapuya, stole $5,25 and ran away before his mother returned home.

It is alleged that when Mafuratidze came home at around 1pm, she failed to locate him.

The court heard that Blessing went back home at around 7pm and Mafuratidze inquired about the missing money.

It is alleged Blessing admitted to taking the money with the intention of buying some corn snacks.

Mafuratidze then grabbed an electricity cable and started beating him with it several times all over the body. Blessing got hold of the cable while begging her to free him, the court heard.

The court further heard that Mafuratidze then took a lady's shoe and started beating Blessing on the head and all over the body with it several times until he fell down unconscious.

It is alleged that Mafuratidze went to inform her pastor, Ms Elizabeth Usaihwevhu, that she had beaten her child and he was unconscious.

Ms Usaihwevhu went to the crime scene and found the boy motionless on the floor and called his name with the hope of aiding him to gain consciousness but he did not respond, prompting her to inform a police officer who lives nearby to come and assess the situation.

Mafuratidze was arrested while Blessing was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, a 35-year-old Chinamhora woman allegedly forced her teenage daughter to have sex with her 48-year-old stepfather while she watched.

The woman and her husband yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro.

They are facing rape charge.

Mrs Guwuriro remanded the couple in custody and advised them to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that sometime in January 2014 the man started living with his wife and her teenage daughter at Zimbiru Village, Chief Chinamhora.

Sometime during the same month, at around 8pm, the woman called her daughter to join her and her husband in the bedroom.

It is alleged that she closed the door and instructed her daughter to strip and have sexual intercourse with her step- father.

When the teenager refused her mother struck her twice with a rubber sjambok.

It is alleged that the teenager was frightened and got on her mother's bed where her stepfather raped her while her mother watched.

The court heard that the teenager started bleeding and her mother instructed her to take a bath.

It is alleged that she was raped several times that night.

The following morning the teenager was threatened by her mother not to reveal the sexual assault or she would poison her or throw her into a well.

The teenager kept quiet.

During the same month, the teenager was instructed to have sexual intercourse with her stepfather while her mother watched.

The court heard that the abuse ended after the stepfather separated with the teenager's mother.

In October last year, it is alleged that the teenager went to live with her father at Gukwe Village under Chief Chinamhora.

The court heard that the teenager was traumatised and opened up to her stepsister.

The stepsister told the parents and a report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the pair.