A SIX-YEAR-OLD Chitungwiza girl last Friday dragged her parents to court accusing them of neglect and leaving her to take care of her two younger sisters without food.
Report by Vimbai Marufu
The girl’s father, Tawanda Gumbo (30) — a commuter omnibus tout — and her mother Constance Hukuimwe (27) appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabhini, who sentenced them to four months and five months in prison, respectively, for child neglect.
Tawanda’s sentence was suspended on condition that he does 140 hours of community service, while Constance’s sentence was suspended for five years on condition that she does not commit a similar offence.
The court heard that between June and November this year, the couple, who stay in Manyame Park, always left the complainant with her two younger sisters aged four and three years without adequate food as they went to their different chores.
As a result, the complainant resorted to begging for handouts from neighbours to feed her siblings and herself.
To add to their predicament, the house had no ablution facilities, which forced the complainant and her siblings to relieve themselves in dishes and plates. The court was told that at one time when the couple was away, the children’s blankets were accidentally destroyed by a burning candle while they were asleep. A concerned neighbour eventually alerted police, leading to the couple’s arrest.
