Pauline Maganga (23 years old) from Gokwe, who sold her infant child to South Africa for R25,000, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for human trafficking.
Pauline, who was pregnant in South Africa, met a woman named Janet Marimo in a WhatsApp group, and they agreed to sell the baby for R25,000. Only two days after giving birth, Pauline gave Janet Marimo the baby along with the clinic card.
Pauline received part of the payment, and the two agreed to feed the baby as Janet Marimo waited for the baby’s birth record.
She, however, failed to obtain the birth record.
On July 4, Janet Marimo left Johannesburg for Port Elizabeth with the baby and booked the bus using Pauline’s name to avoid being intercepted by the police.
The two women remained in touch as they needed the birth record for the baby by October 29 to process travel documents since the child was meant to be taken to Australia.
After failing to secure the baby’s documents, Janet Marimo smuggled the baby to Zimbabwe.
She was arrested in Waterfalls, Harare, on November 27 following a tip-off.
After hearing of Janet Marimo’s arrest, Pauline traveled to Zimbabwe on December 12 to claim her child.
Investigations revealed that she had declared her child dead a few days after delivery.
A DNA test was conducted and proved that she was the child’s biological mother, leading to her arrest.
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