Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A six-year-old girl from Rimbi Village in Chipinge succumbed to severe burns after her dress caught fire while playing house, known as mahumbwe in Shona.
Tawananyasha Mwaziyangeyi-Hanyanisi sustained severe burns all over the body and died at Chipinge District Hospital last week on Tuesday, 13 days after the freak accident.
When The Manica Post visited Rimbi Village on the eve of last week’s harmonised elections, the incident was the talk of the community, with villagers expressing shock over the nasty and rare occurrence.
The girl’s father, Mr Willard Mwaziyangeyi-Hanyanisi, said his child’s skin was scalded, adding that the only part of her body that remained with skin cover was her head.
He said Tawananyasha was playing alone when the incident occurred.
“We went through a painful period as a family since the day our daughter got burnt. However, it is our daughter who went through the most excruciating pain during the 13 days she was nursing the injuries that later resulted in her death.
“Her skin was burnt all over and the only part of her body that remained with skin cover was her head. She was alone when the incident happened. There was no one to assist her at home, and this meant she cried a lot but could not get any help. Her mother had gone to the river to do laundry.
“What makes the whole thing a bit complex and difficult to comprehend is that Tawananyasha was only playing and using twigs to light up the fire. It is not easy to accept and understand how the fire got out of control,” he said.
Neighbours suspect foul play.
Ms Mwaoneni Hakata, who stays near the bereaved family, said: “Everyone is in agreement that such a thing can happen naturally, but there is something behind it and the family needs to find out before they start losing other children the same way.”
Mr Khulumani Hlekisani of the same village said: “It is obvious there is something terribly wrong within the family or around the area. If I was the father, I would not waste time in trying to find out what caused such a freak accident.”
