A 16-year-old Karoi girl who tried to conceal the birth and death of her baby by slipping it into the bag of a fellow passenger has been sentenced to a wholly suspended 110 days jail term by a Karoi magistrate. Magistrate Mrs Nyaradzo Ringisayi passed the sentence last Friday after considering the girl’s background as stated in the probation officer’s report.
The girl is a Grade 6 drop-out who grew up in an unstable family environment. She was working as a maid in Kadoma when she prematurely gave birth to the baby last month. The baby died moments later.
She said she did not have money to cover the funeral expenses. After boarding a bus with the body in a polythene bag on May 29, the girl slipped it into a fellow passenger’s bag after noticing a roadblock along the Harare-Chirundu highway.
Mr Webster Dimingo prosecuted.