Machinga Third Grade Magistrate court on Wednesday sentenced a 39-year-old woman to 30 months in prison for deserting her twins.
Prosecutor Anthony Mchiswe of Machinga Police Station told the court that on October 28, 2017 the woman gave birth to premature twin baby girls and was admitted to Machinga District Hospital for a month.
After she was discharged, the woman abandoned the twins at her home village.
This made her father Andiwotchi Sinatongwe to report the matter to Machinga Police Station where a case was opened and the children were referred to District Social Welfare Office for proper care.
In the process of searching, the woman was found at a Rest House at Songani in Zomba district.
When taken before court, Tiyesi pleaded guilty to the charge of deserting her children and was convicted on her own plea of guilty.
In his submission before sentence, Mchiswe asked the court to impose a custodial sentence to the convict to serve as a warning to other would be offenders since deserting new-borns is a serious offence which attracts a stiff punishment.
Third Grade Magistrate Isaac Kamanga then sentenced Tiyesi to 30 months imprisonment with hard labour.
Tiyesi comes from Jusu Village, in the area of Traditional Authority Nkula in Machinga district.
azimayinu mvuto ndichani?kumakusangalatsa ndi kukwedwa basi?nose amaganizo amenewa zitsilu zenizeni
Kodi inu mukanakhala kuti makolo anu anakutayani bwenzi mutataya anawo.anthu akufuna ana usiku ndi usana iwe nkumaseweretsa shame
Koma abale inu! Bwanji osakawasiya ku malo osungira ana amasiye? Mpaka kutaya ana? Kupanda umunthu uku!
Its not good mayi winaso ali ku police ya chilimba amafuna kupha ana ake awiri ineyo ndinali koko ngati mukufuna kuziwa zambili mupite pa police ya chilimba mukapeza
umenewu nde ufiti
Our nurses and midwifes should ask mothers prior to or soon after giving birth if they want their newly borns to be adopted. There are couples around looking for kids.
In an African primitive thinking, twins was a bad omen which will bring disastrous consequences to the family and the clan, and deserved death. But now, in the modern world is a crime.