By Cordilia Ncube

In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old mother narrowly escaped jail after abandoning her five-day-old son at Amaveni Cemetery in Kwekwe. Melody Moyo, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, though the sentence was wholly suspended on the condition she refrains from committing a similar offense within the next four years.

According to court records, on October 13, 2024, Moyo had been discharged from Kwekwe Hospital after giving birth. Rather than returning home with her newborn, she made a detour to Amaveni Cemetery, where she left the infant alone. She then went home and allegedly informed her mother, Florence Moyo, that she had delivered a stillborn child, claiming not to know what happened to the baby.

The abandoned baby was discovered by a passerby, 23-year-old Paradzai Mhazi, who noticed the infant on his way home from church. Realizing the danger the child was in, Mhazi immediately alerted the police, leading to the baby’s rescue. Authorities quickly traced the infant back to Moyo with the assistance of Kwekwe Hospital staff.

Florence Moyo revealed in court that she had suspected her daughter was pregnant in the preceding months, despite the younger Moyo’s denials. “I questioned her about it, but she denied being pregnant, though her stomach was growing,” she testified.

Magistrate Mildred Mutuvi emphasized the gravity of Moyo’s actions, but ultimately suspended the 14-month sentence to allow the young mother an opportunity for rehabilitation, provided she does not reoffend within the next four years.