Zim Now Reporter
A 13-year-old girl from Bhake Village in Masvingo Rural has died while giving birth in a disturbing case that has once again cast a spotlight on early child marriage within apostolic sects.
Esther Mugwebi, who was epileptic and reportedly married off as the fourth wife to 33-year-old Learnmore Mahova of the Johane Marange Apostolic sect, died in labour on June 5, 2025.
Her baby also died in the womb after she failed to deliver.
Authorities only became aware of the incident after the teenager had been buried on June 8 without a burial order or notification to the police, as required by law.
Investigations later revealed that Esther’s womb had been cut open using a razor blade during a desperate attempt to deliver the baby — an act carried out without medical supervision.
Both her father, Jeremiah Mugwebi ,46, and Mahova were arrested and charged with contravening the Births and Deaths Registration Act for failing to report the sudden death and proceeding with an unlawful burial.
Appearing before Magistrate Caroline Tafira Nyoni at the Masvingo Magistrates Court, the two men were each sentenced to 12 months in prison.
However, four months were suspended for five years, and the remaining eight months were commuted to 280 hours of community service.
Magistrate Nyoni cited the men’s unemployment and the large number of dependents in their households as reasons for opting against custodial sentences.
“Giving you a custodial sentence will be unfair since you have many dependents. You have no substantial sources of income and you are both farmers. There was negligence on your part for not reporting the incident,” she said.
The two claimed they were unaware that sudden deaths must be reported to the police.
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