16-Year-Old Mother Sells Newborn Baby For US$180
A 16-year-old mother and her mother, Evelyn Zisengwe, allegedly conspired to sell the newborn baby for US$180 to a woman called Dion Tore, whom they had met in a WhatsApp group, for adoption.
As reported by H-Metro, the teen mother’s name has been withheld, although she used the alias Nobuhle Sibanda during the illicit transaction.
The three have since been arrested and appeared in court on Monday to face human trafficking charges. They were remanded in custody to Thursday for bail considerations.
It is alleged that in January 2024, the trio planned to traffic Sibanda’s nine-month-old baby through unlawful adoption.
Zisengwe reportedly informed Tore that her daughter was pregnant but intended to abort the child. Tore, who claimed to have experienced persistent miscarriages, expressed a desire to adopt the baby.
According to court documents, Zisengwe contacted Sibanda, who was pregnant at the time, and they arranged to meet on February 22. T
ore allegedly facilitated a scan of the unborn child, confirming it was a baby girl and that the pregnancy was seven months and three weeks along.
They then went to Sally Mugabe Hospital, where they colluded with an unidentified nurse to arrange a premature delivery. Tore provided false personal details to Harare Hospital officials, pretending to be the expectant mother.
Sibanda delivered the baby prematurely on February 25 and handed her over to Tore on March 5 at Harare Hospital.
Subsequently, Tore created a fake death record, claiming that Sibanda had given birth but that the child had passed away.
Between May and August, Zisengwe reportedly received a total of US$180 from Tore, with the payments sent via Ecocash. The trio was arrested following a tip-off to the police in Murehwa.
More: Pindula News
