An 18-year-old man from Chibuku village under Chief Nhema took his three-weeks-old baby and tried to shove him into a boiling three-legged pot but failed because the pot was full of pumpkins and mealies, TellZim News reported.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula confirmed the heinous incident and said the accused was in police custody helping with investigations.
“We received a report of a man who killed his three-weeks-old daughter under bizarre circumstances. I can confirm the man is in police custody and is helping us do our investigations,” said Mazula.
Sources said Leo Nzara was at home with his 16-year-old brother, his aunt (his mother’s elder sister) Fancisca Dikinya (64) and his nursing wife when he allegedly committed the grisly crime at around 19:00hrs on March 25.
It all started when Dikinya received a text message and asked Nzara to read it for her as she could not do it herself due to failing eyesight.
Nzara, however, took the phone and threw it into the fire and Dikinya quickly retrieved it and admonished him for it.
An angry Nzara then left the outside fireplace and went into the kitchen hut where he repeatedly attacked his wife with a blunt object.
Sensing grave danger, she managed to escape but Nzara followed in hot pursuit, picked a brick which he threw at her but missed.
“He went back in the kitchen and picked up the baby and smashed her head onto the ground. He then tried to shove the child into a three-legged pot that was on the fireplace outside but failed because it was full of pumpkins and mealies,” said a source.
“He then dropped the baby onto the ground where she lay bleeding until Dikinya came back and tried to administer first aid. It was, however, too late as the child had already died. It remains unknown what angered Leo so much that he would do what he did,” the source said.
The old lady then called other villagers and effected a citizen’s arrest against Leo before he was handed over to the police.
Source: MbareTimescom
