Zimbabwean Woman Handed 5-Year Sentence for Trying to Smuggle SA Baby Out of Country, Mzansi Unhappy

• Janet Marimo was sentenced in a Zimbabwean court to five years in prison for trying to sell a baby abroad
• The Zimbabwean woman bought a South African baby for R25,000 and tried to sell it out of Africa
• South Africans were disappointed with the sentencing, saying that it wasn't a punishment at all

The sentencing of a Zimbabwean woman to five years in a Zimbabwean prison has drawn widespread criticism from South Africans.

Janet Marimo was sentenced for smuggling a baby out of South Africa to try and sell the two-day-old for adoption outside of Africa.

Zimbabwean woman conspired with South African mother

During her sentencing, it was reported that Marimo conspired with the baby’s mother, Pauline Maganga. The Zimbabwean national paid R25,000 to buy the baby and then attempted to sell the baby abroad.

The pair met in a Facebook group where South African mothers could attempt to sell their children to prospective clients in the United States of America.

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Authorities thankfully were able to foil her plan and arrested her in Harare before the sale went through. The child’s mother was sentenced to 10 years in jail in May 2024.

During her appearance in a Zimbabwean court, Magistrate Donald Ndirowei noted that the typical sentence for the crime was 10 years in prison but stated that there were special circumstances in the case.

“The court found the accused was bona fide in her mistaken understanding of adoption laws in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. Her ignorance of the law and lack of sophistication were deemed special circumstances,” he said.

South Africans criticise lenient sentence

The lenient sentence drew criticism from South Africans who felt like it was too little for such a major crime.

Rjkuhn Kuhn said:

“Oh my goodness. These people just do crime in this country, eish.”

Herman Mostert stated:

“That’s not a sentence at all.”

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Gladys Malesa asked:

“What? Just five years😳?”

Modi Qho added:

“SA is a playground for criminals and the sentence is too lenient.”

Mmakgatla Wa JoelBop stated:

“Five years? Rather release her. That's not a sentence at all. Just playing with government’s paper and ink.”

SA furious with a smuggler's sentence

In a related article, South Africans were not happy with a sentence handed down to a Mozambican national.

The man was handed a six-month sentence or a fine for smuggling children into the country.

Briefly News reported that the man was caught smuggling 14 Mozambican children into South Africa.

Source: Briefly News