A 22-year-old Zimbabwean woman has been arrested over a dead foetus found buried in the outskirts of Maipaafela township in Francistown.The woman said to be an illegal immigrant was still in prison at the time of writing.
Francistown police confirmed the arrest as they also found that the woman is from Buhera. Tatitown Superintendent, Cyprian Magalela, was quoted by the Mmegi publication stating the suspect has been arrested and detained on suspicion of concealing a birth.
“The unborn child was found buried in Maipaafela on November 9 at around 10am and it was certified dead on arrival at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital. The foetus is at KagisoMortuary and we are awaiting the results of the post-mortem to determine the cause of death,” Magalela said.
Magalela said Tatitown police were faced with many cases of birth concealment, mainly bywomen from Zimbabwe. This comes in the wake of another case of Zimbabwean model, Gamuchirai Maziva who is to stand to trial for a near similar charge in Harare.
“Women should always make sure that they notify elders when they become pregnant and if they have any challenges or complications, they should notify social workers to be assisted,” Sup Magalela said.
Magalela according to the report encouraged women to register their pregnancies at hospitals to avoid termination. Meanwhile, Tatitown police are investigating an accident that claimed the life of a 39-year-old man from Tonota. The man was certified dead on arrival at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital.