The gruesome discovery of an infant’s remains being consumed by a stray dog in the densely populated Hatcliffe suburb of Harare left locals speechless and seeking answers. Disturbingly, baby-dumping has been on the rise in Zimbabwe in recent years, with this tragedy serving as merely the latest example in an unsettling pattern.
As was reported on July 31st, police were alerted to the grisly scene and unearthed what remained of the newborn—its head and arm—amidst the Hatcliffe Dust Ground. The canine scavengers had already feasted on parts of the fragile form, leaving those who came upon the aftermath reeling in horror and sadness. Authorities now appeal to the public for any clues that could enable the apprehension of the callous soul who carelessly cast away a small, defenseless life.
Tragically, this serves as just one more in a string of increasingly frequent and stomach-turning occurrences that have taken root in Zimbabwe. Last May, for instance, villagers in rural Mayobodo were stunned upon spotting a dog running off with what looked to be an infant’s hand, leading to the unearthing of a shallow grave containing the remains of a murdered child.
The mother, 34-year-old Christine Nyoni, eventually admitted to ending her newborn’s life in a botched attempt to hide her illicit affair, receiving a suspended sentence that has stirred up debate but done little to curb the chilling rise of such heinous acts.
In August 2021, a similar case occurred in Shamva where a dog was seen feasting on the body of a newborn baby. The police apprehended the mother, Happiness Kandunduma (25), who had wrapped the child in a sack and dumped her at a dump site.
“I can confirm the arrest of Kandunduma who gave birth to a baby girl alone in the bush and wrapped her in a sack before throwing her away. The baby case was discovered by Anna Nyaude who saw a dog feasting on the baby and filed a police report. The police investigated the matter and arrested the suspect,” said Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Naison Dhliwayo at the time.
These cases are not isolated incidents. In June 2020, a 20-year-old Hwange woman, Barbara Munenge, was sentenced to six months in jail for dumping her newborn baby in a sewer stream, where it was eaten by dogs. She was a Form Six pupil at Hwange Government High School at the time. Her mother knew about the baby, who was dumped on 27 May of the same year after Munenge gave birth alone at home.
Munenge told magistrate Rangarairai Gakanje that she decided to discard the baby because an unnamed man who impregnated her had denied responsibility. She would have had an eight-month sentence brought into effect had police charged her with unlawful termination of pregnancy as before. However, police charged Munenge with concealing a baby after she dumped the newly born baby in a sewer stream where it was later eaten by dogs. Munenge pleaded guilty to the charge.
“The person who made me pregnant lured me into unprotected sex saying he would marry me. He denied responsibility after I fell pregnant so I decided to terminate it because my mother is unemployed and would not have managed to take care of the baby,” said Munenge.
However, Magistrate Gakanje sentenced her to an effective six months in jail. “You are lucky not to have the eight months brought into effect. They will remain hovering over your head and if ever you terminate a pregnancy within five years they will be added to whatever sentence you will get” said magistrate Gakanje.
In September 2014, a 24-year-old woman from Mangwe District, Adolfina Tshuma, gave birth prematurely and dumped her newborn baby alive in a bush after the father denied responsibility. The baby was later found being eaten by dogs. Tshuma concealed the incident out of fear of her father, who is a village head.
In November 2013, a dog was seen feasting on the body of a newborn baby at a rubbish dump site in Gweru’s Mkoba Village. Residents watched in disbelief as the dog ran with the baby’s remains, highlighting the horrific reality of infanticide in Zimbabwe.
