By Desire Tshuma
GWERU — A one-year-six-month-old baby’s desperate bid to speak ended in a heartbreaking death after a traditional razor cut to her tongue went horribly wrong, landing a Mberengwa woman in prison for 10 years.
The High Court of Zimbabwe sitting at Gweru sentenced Chipiwa Majasi (43) of Village 3, Kugutakurima under Chief Mposi, to 10 years imprisonment for culpable homicide. Two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour, leaving an effective eight years behind bars.
The court heard that little Ruvarashe Mafikeni died at Runyararo Complex, Vanguard, Mberengwa, on 5th March 2026 after her mother called Majasi to perform a traditional tongue incision to cure her “speech problem”.
Prosecutors said Majasi used a razor blade to cut the lower membrane of the toddler’s tongue before leaving the homestead. The innocent child fell asleep, never to wake up. She was found lifeless at around 1400 hours and was pronounced dead at Mberengwa District Hospital.
A post-mortem revealed the horror: the baby bled to death. Cause of death was listed as hemorrhagic shock, sublingual artery laceration and tongue injury.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said the case was a painful reminder of the dangers of unsafe traditional practices on defenceless children.
“The NPAZ reiterates the importance of protecting vulnerable persons, particularly children, from unsafe practices that may result in serious injury or loss of life,” the Authority said.