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Melody Baya Court Reporter—
A MAN from Bulawayo’s Njube suburb has been arrested for allegedly burying the body of his day-old niece in a bush in Old Pumula suburb without a burial order or the baby’s mother’s consent. Jacob Gatsi, 26, allegedly buried the infant’s body with an unidentified accomplice who is still at large.

The baby’s mother, Rebecca Samupindi, allegedly gave birth to a baby girl at home early last month, a court heard yesterday. The court heard that the infant died a day after birth.

“I heard the baby sneezing as we were sleeping. When she sneezed for the third time she just went silent. We checked and realised she was dead,” said Clara Mashinda, the infant’s grandmother.

Mashinda and Samupindi then took the body to the residence of the late infant’s father, Isaac Gatsi.

“I called my daughter’s boyfriend, Isaac Gatsi and informed him of what had transpired and he instructed us to meet him at his grandmother’s house in Njube. I carried the dead baby and with my daughter we proceeded to Njube and got there around 4.30AM,” said Mashinda.

“We met up with Isaac, his mother Irene Mwanga and the grandmother. We presented to them their dead granddaughter and we left the dead child there. After going home I never heard from Isaac and his mother, neither did they call to inform me of how they buried the baby.”

Gatsi appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Themba Chimiso facing a charge of disposing a body without a burial order.

He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to today. Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza said on April 7 at around 4PM, Samupindi gave birth to a baby girl at home under the supervision of her mother.

“On April 8 at around 2AM the baby girl passed away and Mashinda informed the father of the baby of what had happened. They proceeded to his place of residence where the two families met and talked before the accused buried the deceased infant without a burial order in a bush in Old Pumula,” said Mageza.