MARTIN MAWAYA
GWERU-The two Gweru women who were allegedly involved in shocking abuse of their daughters have been remanded in custody after they appeared in court on Monday.
Provincial Magistrate, Princess Tanyanyiwa, ordered the two, a mother and a stepmother accused of subjecting their young daughters to horrific abuse to be kept in jail until their trial is concluded.
The suspects, Theresa Bimbi (25) and Beauty Dube (28), both residents of Charlton Park in Gweru, appeared in court on charges of assault and causing grievous bodily harm to their children.
The two will return to court on February 28 when the medical reports of the juveniles will be presented as part of evidence.
The court heard that sometime in January of this year, Bimbi’s biological daughter (name withheld), aged three years, urinated on the blankets while asleep during the night.
The following morning, Bimbi called her daughter and accused her of soiling the blankets before using a burning log to torture her in the stomach and vagina once.
During the same month, Bimbi allegedly dragged her nine-year-old stepdaughter, repeatedly striking her all over the body and forcefully squeezing her left ear against a wall for refusing to go to the shops to buy bread.
On February 23, 2024, the duo allegedly tied Bimbi’s three-year-old daughter with a rope and hung her upside down on a durawal for soiling herself while asleep during the night, at Dube’s place of residence.
They then left the child naked, crying out for help, before proceeding to wash the blankets.
The girl was only rescued by a neighbor, Lloyd Msipa, after more than an hour of distress.
Disturbingly, instead of showing remorse, the court heard that Bimbi and Dube insulted the neighbors who had intervened to save the child.
Undeterred, the neighbors promptly reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the two perpetrators, with the victims being placed under the care of the Department of Social Welfare.
Sibangani Dube prosecuted.
