A Zvishavane woman has been jailed for seven years after she poisoned her seven-month-old baby.
Taking into account her youthfulness, her difficult circumstances, and apparent lack of a prior criminal record, the High Court sitting at Gweru sentenced her to 7 years in prison.
In the early hours of March 2, 2023, Felistas Mpofu, who was 19 at the time, arrived in Mandava, Zvishavane.
Later that morning, she laced milk with rat poison (an organophosphate pesticide) and fed it to her 7-month-old daughter using a feeding bottle.
Having no place to sleep, she approached a Good Samaritan in Mandava, seeking overnight accommodation.
She was provided with a place to sleep.
Throughout the night, the baby cried persistently, and in the morning, the Good Samaritan suggested taking the baby to the hospital.
The baby later died at Zvishavane General Hospital, and the matter was initially reported as a ‘sudden death’ pending investigation.
When the offender went back to collect her belongings from the Good Samaritan’s home, the Good Samaritan became suspicious.
She noticed a foul smell emanating from the offender’s belongings.
She then discovered the feeding bottle containing milk with a strong chemical odor, which she handed over to the police.
A post-mortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals subsequently confirmed that the child died from the ingestion of a toxic substance.
The offender informed the court that she killed her child as she had no means to look after her properly.
She committed the offence when she was 19 and was tried this week at 21.
