A 42-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo woman, Gladys Sibanda, appeared in court yesterday charged with killing a minor child through torture and burying the body in a shallow grave behind her Pumula South house.
BY SILAS NKALA
Magistrate Tinashe Tashaya remanded her in custody to August 8 pending transfer of her murder case to the High Court for trial.
The court was told that sometime in August 2016, Sibanda visited her in-laws in Zungwana village 19, in Lusulu, Binga, where she took the minor Thandeka Moyo from her mother Catshepi Cinile Khumalo promising to bring her back later. On arrival in Bulawayo, Sibanda allegedly physically abused the child by assaulting her with switches inflicting serious wounds and denying her medical attention until her condition deteriorated.
It is alleged that sometime in November 2016, the child succumbed to the assault injuries at her house. Sibanda allegedly dug a shallow grave behind her house and buried the minor’s remains and covered up the ground with rubble to conceal evidence.
Neighbours allegedly later alerted police after Sibanda failed to account for the girl’s whereabouts, leading to her arrest.
She then led police officers to the shallow grave where the minor’s remains were exhumed and taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem.
In an unrelated matter, a cheeky Bulawayo dagga smoker allegedly bit a police officer’s hand and spat on his face while resisting arrest after he was caught in the act on Monday.
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This was heard on Tuesday when the accused Welcome Sibanda (23) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Tinashe Tashaya, charged with assault or resisting a peace officer.
He was not asked to plead to the charge and was remanded out of custody to July 28.
The court heard that on July 15 this year, police officer Maurice Chirove and his colleagues from Mzilikazi Police Station were on night patrol duty when they allegedly found Sibanda smoking dagga and drinking in a public place at Club Royal.
When Chirove tried to arrest him, Sibanda allegedly became violent, biting the police officer on the hand and spat on his face, before he was arrested.
