A 34-year-old woman from Tsholotsho has been sentenced to 10 months in prison by the Tsholotsho Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of concealing the birth of her child, a crime under Section 106(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) Chapter 9:23.
The court heard that the woman gave birth to a baby girl on 4 October 2024 at around 4:00 AM. She then threw the newborn into a pit toilet and later began bleeding heavily. A witness discovered her in the toilet and was informed of the incident.
Investigations revealed that the woman had concealed the pregnancy, which had begun in March 2024. The body of the baby was retrieved from the pit toilet, and a post-mortem confirmed that the infant died due to severe pre-maturity.
Following the trial, the woman was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison.
