Woman and new lover conspire to kill child from previous relationship; baby aged 9 months downed in bucket of water – NewZimbabwe.com

By Staff Reporter

In a shocking case, a Gokwe woman allegedly teamed up with her new husband to kill her nine-month-old child from her previous relationship.

It is said the couple Pelagia Jakaza (19) and Bonface Mberengwa (23) drowned the child in a bucket and then buried the remains secretly in a shallow grave.

However, they were arrested Saturday.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident in a statement and said the body has been exhumed.

“On 19 November 2022, ZRP Sanyati acted on a tip-off and arrested Pelagia Jakaza (19) and her husband, Bonface Mberengwa (23), for a case of murder in which they allegedly conspired to kill Pelagia Jakaza’s nine-month-old child sired from a previous relationship by drowning the victim in a bucket of water, on 09 November 2022.

“The two buried the remains in a shallow grave on an anthill at Mapfuti Village, Sanyati. Police recovered the bucket used in drowning the victim and exhumed the body,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile in another almost similar incident, a woman was arrested Friday in Chinhoyi after she allegedly killed her infant just after giving birth.

“On 18 November 2022,police in Chinhoyi acted on a tip-off and arrested Cristabel Tizora (24) for a case of infanticide.

“The suspect allegedly gave birth to a baby girl, killed the baby, and wrapped the body with a towel, which she placed in a sack before enclosing it in a bucket with stones. Police recovered the bucket in the suspect’s room, and the body was taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital for post-mortem,” ZRP said.