The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
A 17-YEAR-OLD Chipinge maid who stole her employer’s baby escaped jail after the court ruled that she was a minor.
Arginia Tanatswa Sithole, of Porusingazi Village, under Chief Gudo in Chiredzi on Monday appeared before senior magistrate, Mr Poterai Gwezhira, facing kidnapping charges.
She pleaded guilty.
In his ruling, Mr Gwezhira postponed passing the sentence for the next two years on condition that the accused does not commit a similar offence.
Public prosecutor, Mr Tim Katsande, told the court that on May 5 at around 3pm the complainant, Margaret Muyambo, of 420 Medium Density in Chipinge received a call from one Gumei Mugove a fellow nurse advising her that she had found a child minder.
“On May 6 around 9 am the complainant met the accused person outside Chipinge Town Council offices and took her to her residence and returned back to work leaving her with three children including the victim.
“The following day at around 8am, Muyambo left her baby Ntombizodwa Kwagedza aged 12 months in the custody of Sithole and went to work after the other two children had gone to school,” he said.
Mr Katsande said at around 2pm the accused person took the baby and went to an unknown destination without the consent of the mother of the baby.
“On the same day at around 5pm the complainant returned from work and found the accused person and her baby missing while everything was scattered in the house.
“The complainant then enquired from her neighbour who told her that the accused left home with the victim on her back but she did not know where she was going. She made a report to police. Detective sergeant Kunaka and constable Shumba picked informarion that the accused person had crossed the Save River while in possession of the victim and proceeded to Porusingazi Village in Chiredzi.
“The detectives proceeded to the said village and managed to locate the accused person who had the victim on her back,” said Mr Katsande.
