Woman and new lover conspire to kill child from the previous relationship; baby aged 9 months down in a bucket of water

In a shocking case, a Gokwe woman allegedly teamed up with her new husband to kill her nine-month-old child from her previous relationship.

The couple Pelagia Jakaza (19) and Bonface Mberengwa (23) drowned the child in a bucket and then buried the remains secretly in a shallow grave.

However, they were arrested Saturday.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident in a statement and said the body had been exhumed.

“On 19 November 2022, ZRP Sanyati acted on a tip-off and arrested Pelagia Jakaza (19) and her husband, Bonface Mberengwa (23), for a case of murder in which they allegedly conspired to kill Pelagia Jakaza’s nine-month-old child sired from a previous relationship by drowning the victim in a bucket of water, on 09 November 2022.

“The two buried the remains in a shallow grave on an anthill at Mapfuti Village, Sanyati. Police recovered the bucket used in drowning the victim and exhumed the body,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, in another similar incident, a woman was arrested Friday in Chinhoyi after allegedly killing her infant just after giving birth.

“On 18 November 2022, police in Chinhoyi acted on a tip-off and arrested Cristabel Tizora (24) for a case of infanticide.

“The suspect allegedly gave birth to a baby girl, killed the baby, and wrapped the body with a towel, which she placed in a sack before enclosing it in a bucket with stones. Police recovered the bucket in the suspect’s room, and the body was taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital for post-mortem,” ZRP said.