In a heartbreaking tragedy, a six-year-old girl from Rimbi Village in Chipinge died from serious burns after her clothes caught fire while playing Mahumbwe.
Tawananyasha Mwaziyangeyi-Hanyanisi, a six-year-old child from Rimbi Village in Chipinge, died as a result of severe burns in a heartbreaking incident. The incident occurred as she was playing Mahumbwe, a popular game, and her garment caught fire.
Tawananyasha received serious burns all over her body and unfortunately died 13 days later at Chipinge District Hospital. This unusual and terrible episode astonished and grieved the whole town.
Her father, Mr. Willard Mwaziyangeyi-Hanyanisi, described the severity of her injuries, explaining that almost her entire body was burned, except for her head. What makes this incident particularly tragic is that she was alone when it happened, with no one around to help her. Her mother had gone to the river for laundry, leaving Tawananyasha unattended.
“We went through a painful period as a family since the day our daughter got burnt. However, it is our daughter who went through the most excruciating pain during the 13 days she was nursing the injuries that later resulted in her death. Her skin was burnt all over and the only part of her body that remained with skin cover was her head. She was alone when the incident happened. There was no one to assist her at home, and this meant she cried a lot but could not get any help. Her mother had gone to the river to do laundry. What makes the whole thing a bit complex and difficult to comprehend is that Tawananyasha was only playing and using twigs to light up the fire. It is not easy to accept and understand how the fire got out of control,” he told Manica Post.
Some neighbours suspect that there might be more to the incident than meets the eye. Ms Mwaoneni Hakata, who lives near the grieving family, believes there could be underlying factors involved and urges the family to investigate further to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again.
Mr Khulumani Hlekisani from the same village also hinted at a possible spiritual aspect to the incident and suggested that the father should seek guidance from traditional healers or spiritualists to uncover the true cause of this tragic accident.
