A Chivi man, Lordshire Samanyanga, tortured his 10-months-old twin babies by placing them in a wheelbarrow with a hot surface resulting in one of them suffering fatal burns.Samanyanga allegedly left his two babies crying for help inside a hot wheelbarrow that had been in the sun for long.

The babies got third degree burns that saw one of them eventually dying.

Magistrate Collet Ncube of Masvingo sentenced Samanyanga to a fine of $500 or two years in prison.

According to Masvingo Mirror, at a date unknown to the prosecutor but during the month of April 2011, Samanyanga (21) of Rera Village, headman Madamombe in Chivi and his wife Catherine Gwarazimba had a misunderstanding leading to the wife fleeing the homestead.

She left her husband with the twins.

While Gwarazimba was away, the accused person allegedly went to the river to wash his clothes with the two children and the children  disappeared as their father was busy washing clothes.

Samanyanga searched for the children with anger, found them and negligently placed them in a hot wheelbarrow which had been exposed to the sun which resulted in them sustaining severe burns on their bodies. Both infants sustained blisters on the back of their bodies as a result of the contact they made with the hot wheelbarrow surface.

The deceased and her sibling cried out loud but the accused left them unattended.

Gwarazimba came back home the same month and discovered that her children had injuries.

The children were referred to Chivi District hospital where the deceased eventually died as a result of the injuries sustained and her twin sibling recovered. The deceased’s remains were ferried to Masvingo general hospital where a postmortem was conducted and concluded that the cause of death was severe dehydration and third degree burns.

The accused was represented by Dumisani Kufaruwenga of Dzimba, Jaravaza and Associates.

The accused person pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own plea.

On giving sentence, Ncube took into account that the accused person was a first offender and observed that he will suffer the stigma of having caused the death of his child for the rest of his life.Moreblessing Rusere prosecuted.  Source: Masvingo Mirror