The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says investigations into the alleged death of a 14-year-old girl at a Johanne Marange Apostolic sect shrine in Marange on 15 July have established that the late teenager is Anna Machaya, and not Memory Machaya as has been reported.
Anna Machaya, born on the 5th July 2006, was married to Hatirarami Momberume (26), and her cousin Memory, born on 2nd January 1999, is alive and married to Lameck Makonye alias Sigodhla (54) in Mhondoro.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the police are pressing criminal charges against the parents of Anna Machaya for proving false information to the police.
“The police are also pressing criminal charges against Anna Machaya’s father, Edmore Machaya (45) and mother Shy Mabika (36) for obstructing or defeating the course of justice. The parents openly lied to the Police that Anna Machaya was born on 2nd January 1999.
“The mother went on to give Police investigators a national identity card in a bid to prove that she was born on 2nd January 1999. This was false.” Read part of the statement.
Police Investigations revealed that the identity card produced to the police belonged to a namesake of the late minor who is a daughter of Ernest Machaya, an uncle to the late Anna Machaya.
“It is through school records in Mhondoro that the Police actually proved that the late Anna Machaya was born on 5th July 2006 to Edmore Machaya and Shy Mabika.” Nyathi said.
The late Anna Machaya’s parents will face charges of pledging a minor after trying to hand over another minor aged nine years to the suspect.