Nine-Year-Old Tsholotsho Mother Returns To School

The nine-year-old girl from Tsholotsho who gave birth in November last year is scheduled to return to school this week after being confirmed healthy and discharged by a specialist doctor, Sunday Mail reports.

This is in agreement with the probation officer assigned to the case’s care plan.

The government has agreed to pay her tuition and other educational expenses, and other stakeholders have also agreed to help.
The minor gave birth by caesarean section, which has been “healing nicely”.

Despite initial claims that her father was involved, she was pregnant by her 13-year-old cousin.

Matabeleland North provincial social development officer Mr Golden Mapanga said the girl will attend a new school and start Grade Four with other learners when schools open tomorrow.

Read Also: Father Of Nine-Year-Old Mom Still Detained

The learning institution will not be disclosed to protect the minor from discrimination.

“Case conferencing was done over this matter. When we case conference, we bring together responsible stakeholders who make up what we call a best interests determination panel.

‘‘These people devise a plan of how a particular issue can be dealt with, and with the Tsholotsho case, this is what happened. The stakeholders met and discussed how to handle the matter,” he said.

Mr Mapanga said initially, it was not their wish for the minor to have been informed that she was carrying a baby.

During the initial case conference in Tsholotsho last year, it is said the issue of termination of pregnancy in accordance with Zimbabwean laws was discussed but fell through as there were various factors that made it unworkable.