Zimbabwe News Online: Woman strikes child with knobkerrie

Woman strikes child with knobkerrie
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Sunday News Reporter on 11 February, 2010 04:21:00
 
The incident occurred last week at Marege Village in Chief Nyajena’s area of
Masvingo. The woman, Sarudzai Mahlamaki, allegedly fatally assaulted her eight
year-old child Pamela Mabika with a knobkerrie while in a drunken stupor.
Police spokesman for Masvingo Province, Inspector Tinaye Matake, confirmed the
incident to Sunday News yesterday. He said Sarudzai arrived home from a beer
drink around 7pm and found her two children Admire (15) and Pamela at home
seated in the kitchen hut.
On her arrival, she cooked food and they ate before they went to the bedroom to
sleep. While in the bedroom and before they retired to bed she looked for
Pamela’s school shoes that she wanted to polish but could not find them. She
inquired from her where she had put the shoes.
Pamela however told her that that she lost the shoes while they were herding
cattle and this did not go down well with Sarudzai who quickly grabbed a
knobkerrie that was in the bedroom hut and struck Pamela on the head and she
fell down.
She however, in her drunken stupor, allegedly continued to assault her all over
the body with the knobkerrie demanding that she go and get the shoes where she
had left them.
Pamela died on the spot as a result of the assault. Her body was taken to Renco
Mine Hospital mortuary where a post-mortem has to be conducted to ascertain the
real cause of death.
Sarudzai was arrested and is in police custody assisting the police with
investigations. Insp Matake discouraged parents and guardians from assaulting
children while drunk and to be wary of the instruments and objects they use to
discipline their children.