Poverty-Stricken Young Mother Poisoned Infant Daughter, Gets 7-Year Sentence

The Gweru Circuit High Court has sentenced a young mother to seven years’ imprisonment after she administered poison to her seven-month-old daughter, leading to the child’s tragic death in March 2023.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the incident occurred on 2 March 2023, mere hours after the offender, Felistas Mpofu, who was 19 years old at the time, arrived in Mandava, Zvishavane, from her rural home in Shumba Village, Mberengwa.

The court heard that Mpofu arrived in the early hours of the morning and, later that same day, deliberately laced milk with rat poison, an organophosphate pesticide, and fed it to her infant daughter using a feeding bottle. The NPA said:

Having no place to sleep, she approached a Good Samaritan in Mandava, seeking overnight accommodation. She was provided with a place to sleep.

Throughout the night, the baby cried persistently, and in the morning, the Good Samaritan suggested taking the baby to the hospital.

The baby later died at Zvishavane General Hospital, and the matter was initially reported as a “sudden death” pending investigations.

When the offender went back to collect her belongings from the Good Samaritan’s home, the Good Samaritan became suspicious when she noticed a foul smell emanating from the offender’s belongings.

She then discovered the feeding bottle containing milk with a strong chemical odor, which she handed over to the police.

A post-mortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals subsequently confirmed that the child died from the ingestion of a toxic substance.

In court, Mpofu asserted that she took the life of her child due to an inability to provide adequate care and support.

Now aged 21, Mpofu committed the offence at the age of 19. The High Court, in its deliberations, considered her youth, the challenging circumstances she faced, and the absence of any prior criminal record, ultimately sentencing her to seven years’ imprisonment.