A 32-year-old businesswoman has been sentenced to five years in prison for brutally assaulting her 10-year-old daughter.
Alice Mweene, a resident of Old Kanyama Compound, stood before Lusaka Magistrate Amy Masoja, her actions condemned as unacceptable.
The disturbing events unfolded on April 12, 2024, when Alice’s daughter returned home from school.
Alice, fueled by anger and suspicion, accused her daughter of stealing money from the family pot. Without hesitation, she grabbed a cooking stick and brutally beat her young daughter.
But the beating was only the beginning. In a twisted attempt to inflict even greater pain, Alice sought out a scorching hot brazier.
When her sister informed her that the landlord was using their brazier, Alice dragged the child to a neighbor’s house, where she found another brazier. Removing the pot, she placed her daughter on the scorching hot surface.
The survivor suffered severe injuries to her buttocks, her tiny body scorched by the intense heat.
It was not until neighbors intervened, rescuing her from her mother’s cruel clutches, that the full extent of Alice’s brutality came to light.
The neighbors, horrified by what they had witnessed, immediately reported the incident to the Kanyama police.
In court, Magistrate Masoja handed down the five-year sentence, condemning Alice’s actions as unacceptable.
