By Takudziridzwa Nyama
The Gweru Circuit High Court has sentenced 21 year old Felistas Mpofu to 7 years in prison for poisoning her 7 month old daughter with rat poison in March of 2023.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), in the early hours of March 2, 2023, Felistas Mpofu who was 19 at the time, arrived in Mandava, Zvishavane, from her rural home in Shumba village, Mberengwa.
It is allegedly that 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.
When the offender went back to collect her belongings from the Good Samaritan’s home, the Good Samaritan became suspicious when she noticed a foul smell emanating from the offender’s belongings.
She then discovered the feeding bottle containing milk with a strong chemical odour, 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.
Mpofu 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.
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.
The incident is a tragic story that underscores the urgent need for mental health support, parenting education, and protection of children at all levels.