A 23-year-old woman from Gokwe has been convicted of selling her newborn baby just two days after giving birth. She pled guilty to violating the Trafficking in Persons Act before a Harare Magistrate and is scheduled for sentencing today.
Initially, the woman claimed that her child had died shortly after birth. However, it was later revealed that she had conspired with another woman to sell the baby. According to the prosecution, the woman sold her son to her accomplice on June 26 of the previous year, shortly after giving birth in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In October, the accomplice managed to smuggle the infant into Zimbabwe. The authorities were alerted by a tip-off and arrested the accomplice on November 27. The baby was then placed under the care of the Department of Social Welfare.
Upon learning of her accomplice’s arrest, the mother returned to Zimbabwe on December 12 to claim the baby. Her attempt to regain custody raised suspicions due to her earlier claim that the child had died. She was subsequently arrested.
The case has highlighted the issue of child trafficking and the legal measures in place to combat it. The infant remains under the protection of social services as the legal proceedings continue.
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