Bulawayo baby snatcher revealed as a female Form One pupil
HARARE – Police say the kidnapping of a two-year-old girl from a busy Bulawayo shopping centre was carried out by a 14-year-old Form One pupil, dramatically reversing earlier indications that the suspect was a man.
Baby Asanda Ndlovu, who was snatched from Meikles Market on Tuesday, was found unharmed on Thursday at a business premises at the corner of Herbert Chitepo Street and 3rd Avenue.
The teenage suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was paraded before reporters on Friday with her face covered by a mask.
In a startling confession, she told journalists she staged the kidnapping to convince her 36-year-old boyfriend, identified only as Mumba, that she had a child.
“Mumba asked me if I have a child and I said yes. So he asked me to bring the baby. That’s when I went to Meikles,” the girl said.
She said she entered the mall and went to a stall run by Nesisa Mpofu, pretending to be a customer looking for a pillow. Mpofu was at work with her baby.
“When I got there the baby was crying and I lifted her up. She stopped crying. She is a friendly baby,” she said.
Police had initially said they were hunting for a male suspect based on grainy CCTV footage showing a figure in jeans carrying the toddler. The teenager said she did not disguise herself but simply pulled a hoodie over her head.
She told police she took the child to Mumba, whom she described as her sister’s ex-boyfriend, intending to later return the baby. However, she alleged that Mumba instructed her to remain at his residence in Trenance until Thursday morning, when she returned to the city centre with the child.
At a block of flats housing several businesses, she approached a man in one office and asked him to look after the baby for a few minutes, claiming the child’s father was across the street and would collect her.
The man later told police he was alarmed that a stranger would entrust him with a toddler. He locked the teenager inside the office with another woman and rushed to Meikles Market to alert security guards. Police were subsequently called.
The teenager, who lives with her mother in Rangemore, said the baby had been fed on a diet of rice, hot chips and corn puff snacks during the two days she was missing.
“I’m really sorry. I made a mistake. I’m asking for forgiveness,” she said.
She is expected to appear before a juvenile court.
Meanwhile, Meikles Market administrators said they would be “implementing measures to strengthen safety protocols and ensure that incidents of this nature do not occur again.”
*Drug peddlers and users arrests rise by 41%*
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About 19 632 suspected drug peddlers and users were arrested across Zimbabwe last year, marking a 41 percent increase from the 13 942 recorded in 2024.
Of those arrested, 17 028 were referred to court for prosecution as authorities intensified efforts to curb drug and substance abuse nationwide.
Chairperson of the National Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse and Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said 216 drug bases were destroyed during the period under review.
“Drug and substance abuse remains one of the most complex and destabilising public health, social, economic and national security concerns,” she said.
She commended President Emmerson Mnangagwa for guidance through the Zimbabwe Multisectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Action Plan (2024–2030), which coordinates a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society response under seven strategic pillars.
Supply Reduction Measures
Under the Supply Reduction pillar, authorities focused on dismantling illicit drug production and trafficking networks through law enforcement and tighter regulation.
Spot fines under the Liquor Act [Chapter 14:12] have been abolished, with offenders now referred to courts for prosecution and stiffer penalties.
The Minister noted that the majority of offenders were under 35, highlighting youth vulnerability as a major concern.
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) conducted 664 inspections, cancelled 15 licences and referred 177 cases for prosecution. Inspectors received capacity-building training in all 10 provinces, while 90 nationwide awareness initiatives were carried out, including festive-season campaigns.
Demand Reduction and Empowerment
The Demand Reduction pillar reached 8 495 819 people — a 49 percent increase from 5.7 million in 2024 — through education, community outreach and media campaigns.
Economic empowerment initiatives saw 25 531 individuals benefit from vocational and livelihood training, while 2 400 youths participated in targeted skills outreach programmes. Agricultural, fish-farming and goat-improvement projects were also launched.
The Presidential Youth Empowerment Programme disbursed a US$2 million revolving fund and provided mobility aids to youths with disabilities, supported by a national symposium officiated by President Mnangagwa.
Treatment and Rehabilitation Expansion
Under the Harm Reduction, Treatment and Rehabilitation pillar, the Angel of Hope Rehabilitation Centre was commissioned and the Wilkins Drug Rehabilitation Centre became operational.
Rehabilitation facilities increased from 48 in 2024 to 139 last year. Testing and treatment centres were established at Copacabana, Tsiga, Matapi and Old Highfield in Harare.
Additionally, 102 facilities have been earmarked for conversion into testing, treatment and rehabilitation centres — 68 Government-owned and 33 church-run institutions.
Meanwhile, 192 traffic police officers have been trained in the use of modern breathalyser devices to combat drunken driving.
Authorities say the intensified measures form part of broader efforts to safeguard public health, community safety and national development objectives under Vision 2030.
Source: The Herald
