Fitzgerald Munyoro

THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has pressed charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice as defined in section 184(1)(d) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act against the parents of the late 14 year old Marange child Anna Machaya (erroneously referred to as Memory Machaya).

Additionally, ZRP is also charging the parents identified as Edmore Machaya (45) and Shy Mabika (39) of pledging a minor for reparation after attempting to hand over another minor (aged 9) to the alleged husband of the deceased who is also a chief suspect in the ongoing case that is now a media blitz.

This was revealed in a statement released by the ZRP (yesterday) that was detailing the preliminary findings into the investigation of the death of Anna Machaya who allegedly died on July 15 while giving birth to a baby boy and was secretly buried at the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church shrine in Marange.

Police investigators have said that during their inquiries into the matter, the parents availed to them a national identity card belonging of a Memory Machaya that showed her date of birth as January, 2, 1999. This would mean the deceased was 22 years old at the time of her death and not 14 years old as indicated in various reports that circulated in the media.

“The Police is also pressing charges against Edmore Machaya (45) and Shy Mabika (36) for obstructing and defeating the course of justice. The parents openly lied to the police that Anna Machaya was born on the 2nd of January 1999. The mother went on to give police investigators a national ID in a bid to prove that she was born on the 2nd of January 1999. This was false,” read part of the press statement.

However, the statement reports that further investigations by the police revealed that the identification documents presented to the police belonged to another Memory Machaya, who is a daughter to Ernest Machaya, who is an uncle to the deceased.

School records obtained from Mhondoro proved that Memory Machaya and Anna Machaya were two different people. The correct birth certificates also showed Anna Machaya as having been born on the 5th of July 2008, indicating Shy Mabika and Edmore Machaya as her birth parents.

On the other hand, the court hearing for Hatirarami Momberume(26), the alleged husband of the deceased failed to take off yesterday (Thursday) at Mutare Magistrates’ court.

Momberume is facing charges of rape or alternatively contravening section 70 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. A prosecutor who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity said the court will sit today at 11 am.

Women rights groups, activists, the churches council, local artists and civic society organizations have been very opinionated about the case castigating law enforcement authorities and Government for condoning the death of the 14 year old girl and the ongoing practice of child marriages which is rampant amongst the apostolic sects, especially the Johanne Marange.

According to statistics presented by United Nations, one in every three Zimbabwean girls is most likely to be married off before reaching the age of 18. A petition named ‘Justice for Memory Machaya!’ has amassed more than 90,000 signatures following the media blitz and social media campaigns against child marriages.