A HARARE woman awaits sentence following her conviction for being the mastermind of an illegal human trafficking ring specialising in babies.
The mastermind, Janet Marimo, was found guilty last week by Harare regional magistrate Donald Ndiriwei at the close of the State’s case.
Marimo is said to have orchestrated the illegal sale and trafficking of an infant through an online adoption group.
One of the witnesses who testified during Marimo’s trial is the infant’s mother, Pauline Maganga, who is serving a 10-year sentence for selling her baby to the convict.
Maganga exposed the workings of the syndicate, revealing how women from Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States used a Facebook group to exploit desperate mothers on pretext that they will be providing adoption services.
Maganga testified that she began communicating with Marimo in March 2023 through a Facebook group called Child Adoption, where Marimo acted as the group administrator.
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She recounted how Marimo convinced her to put her baby up for adoption, covering her medical costs and offering financial assistance during her pregnancy.
However, instead of following legal procedures, Marimo allegedly smuggled the infant from South Africa to Zimbabwe.
State prosecutor Tendai Tapi also presented overwhelming evidence linking Marimo to the trafficking scheme, which unravelled after she was caught in November 2023 with a five-month-old boy for whom she could not produce documentation.
The court heard that the baby in question was rescued and is under the care of the Department of Social Welfare.