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Cynthia Dube, Court Reporter
A WOMAN from Bulawayo who allegedly killed her four-year-old niece and buried the body at the back of a house she was renting to conceal the evidence appeared in court yesterday.

Gladys Sibanda (42) allegedly took Thandeka Moyo from her mother who resides in Binga in August last year and routinely savagely attacked the baby for three months leading to her death.

Sibanda allegedly assaulted the girl using a stick until she sustained serious bruises all over her body before her death.

A court heard that the girl died sometime in November last year at around 2AM. Sibanda allegedly called two neighbours who assisted her to bury Thandeka in a shallow grave in her yard near a precast wall and piled concrete blocks on the grave to conceal the evidence.

Sibanda appeared before Tredgold court magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing a charge of murder.

Mr Tashaya did not ask her to plead and remanded her in custody to July 4.

Sibanda has confirmed her statements and through her papers, claims she did not intend to kill her niece.

Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said on August 6, Sibanda went to her in laws in Binga, took Thandeka from her mother and came with her to Bulawayo.

“The accused person physically abused the deceased by assaulting her using sticks and bashing her body until the deceased sustained serious wounds all over the body. The accused person did not take the deceased to hospital for treatment until her condition deteriorated,” he said.

“Sometime in November last year, the girl died as the result of the wounds she sustained during the abuse. The accused buried the body of the deceased in a shallow grave in her yard near a durawall and piled blocks on top of her to conceal the evidence.”

Mr Dlodlo said Sibanda led police officers to exhume the remains of the deceased last month.

The court heard that there are witnesses who saw Sibanda physically abusing the girl.

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