KUDAKWASHE Mahachi destroyed his visiting four-year-old son’s passport, bandaged his burns and handed him over to a malayitsha — who transported him back to Zimbabwe — after allegedly scalding him with boiling water in South Africa.

Mahachi is also accused of assaulting his child all over the body with an iron bar and mobile phone cable charger.

Before smuggling his son back to Zimbabwe, on 10 April, Mahachi is said to have called Maritha and told her that their son was suffering from a “weird disease”. He later told his sisters that his son had developed cancer after he was assaulted by goblins.

According to a reliable source, who is familiar with police investigations, the malayitsha handed over the bandaged child to Mahachi’s friend — a Carlos Witness Moyo — who resides at Mahachi’s Cowdray Park suburb house.

Moyo confirmed to the investigating police officers that the minor returned to Zimbabwe on 14 April bandaged on his legs and on the head.  On 19 April, Moyo is said to have called the child’s mother, Maritha Ndlovu and Mahachi’s grandmother, Julia Ntuli (82), and told them that the minor was back from South Africa and was not feeling well.

Maritha and Julia Ntuli are said to have gone to Cowdray Park, where they found the child sitting on a sofa, covered with a blanket with his head and legs bandaged. They also found out that the child’s legs were swollen legs and had some burns.

They also noticed that he had lost his upper incisor tooth.

The following day, they took the child to Flex Private Clinic and the minor was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital, where Maritha was advised to make a police report. She filed a report on 21 April at ZRP Mpilo Post and the docket was transferred to Cowdray Park police station.

Police interviewed the child at Mpilo Hospital and he told them that “. . . on an unknown date whilst still in South Africa, the accused person (Kudakwashe Mahachi) assaulted him using an iron bar, a cellphone charger cable all over the body and poured hot water on his body. The complainant (Mahachi’s son) also stated that the accused person destroyed his passport.”

Maritha said she has not been given or seen her son’s passport since he returned from South Africa.

“The last time I saw the passport was when my son was leaving for South Africa. I have not seen it ever since,” she said.

Mahachi’s lawyer, Nkosiyabo Sibanda of Tanaka Law Chambers refused to comment.

bmetro