A 46-year old marketeer of Nakonde dropped dead in the early of yesterday as she faced intense questioning from fellow traders over the death of her newly-born baby girl.
Josephine Mumba, a pumpkin seller hailing from Chambeshi is alleged to have killed her own child moments after it was born but collapsed before an interrogative mob at the market and was prounnced dead at Nakonde Urban Clinic.
According to Chete FM, Josephine was amongst the several traders who came to Nakonde from various parts of the country for trade and used the makeshift structures in the market as their sleeping quarters.
For the three weeks that Josephine was in Nakonde, her fellow traders noticed that she was heavily pregnant but to their surprise, she insisted that her bloated stomach was not as a result of the body-deforming male fluids of spermtozoa but that a malicious witch had ballooned her stomach using the dark powers of black magic.
A fellow trader, Monica Nachalwe narrated that in the early hours of yesterday around 01:00 hours, Mumba was heard moaning in pain by her neighbor who slept next to her, but that when asked on what was wrong, she said she only needed some water to bath.
But the suspicious neighbour did not buy her story and decided to check her sleeping spot after she left for her claimed bath.
Lo and behold, the nosy neighbour got more than bargained for, a dead baby with an umbilical cord still attached to her body stuffed in a sack.
Monica then awoke other traders who waited Josephine to return form early morning shower.
A few minutes later, the new mother returned, and immediately, the tent turned into an interrogation room as the women began firing questions about their discovery.
But the questioning seemed too much for Josephine as she collapsed to ground and lost consciousness.
She was immediately rushed to Nakonde Urban Clinic were she was pronounced as a brought in dead (BID) and immediately, her body, with that of the baby were disposed to the mortuary.
The market chairperson, Geofrey Sinkala, confirmed the incident to Chete FM while the Fire department promptly moved in to disinfected the shelter where the incident occurred.
Meanwhile, the matter has been reported to the Police who are currently investigating the possible motives and circumstances of the killing.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba February 6, 2024
