By Sekai Moyo,Tanya Mugabe

Copyright myzimbabwe

CHITUNGWIZA – Mr. Tichaona Chako (38) and Ms. Natasha Chikwanha (32), a couple from Chitungwiza, are sharing their remarkable story of resilience and hope after being reunited with their son, who was abducted as an infant and found a decade later. The couple are now using their experience to advocate for increased parental vigilance in safeguarding children.

The Chako family’s nightmare began in May 2013, just three weeks after Mrs. Chikwanha gave birth to their son on the 21st of that month. She had gone to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital (formerly known as Harare Hospital) for a routine medical check-up when tragedy struck.

Recounting the heart-wrenching experience from their home in Murisa Park, Chitungwiza, the couple explained how their world crumbled when their three-week-old son was snatched away. The despair and uncertainty lingered for ten long years until a breakthrough in 2022 finally led to their son’s discovery. He was officially reunited with his family in 2023.

According to the couple, Mrs. Chikwanha was befriended by a woman at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. Trusting the woman, Ms. Chikwanha agreed to accompany her to Harare city centre. However, at Gulf Complex, the woman cunningly asked Ms. Chikwanha to buy food, offering her US$2. When Mrs. Chikwanha returned, both the woman and her precious baby were gone.

The national police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident, stating that the perpetrator was apprehended and subsequently sentenced to imprisonment for her crime.

The stolen son, now a 12-year-old, was eventually located in 2022 in Rusape, where the abductor had been residing.

The discovery came about following a domestic dispute between the woman and her husband. The argument centred around the need for hospital documents to fraudulently obtain birth certificates for the stolen child, as well as another child she had also abducted. The matter was then reported to the authorities, leading to the woman’s arrest and subsequent imprisonment.

Mr. Chako recounted the events leading up to the abduction. “My wife gave birth at Chitungwiza Central Hospital in June 2013 after a full-term pregnancy. After three weeks, she started experiencing body pains and was referred to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital for asthma tests,” he explained.

He further detailed how his wife, after receiving treatment, waited near the Red Cross section of the hospital when she was approached by a woman claiming to be visiting a relative. The woman also mentioned that she hailed from Unit M in Chitungwiza.

“This woman befriended my wife and offered to carry the baby. They went together into Harare city centre. They boarded a kombi to Gulf Complex, where my wife was given US$2 to buy food. She left the woman with the baby, and that’s when the child was stolen,” Mr. Chako explained, his voice heavy with emotion.

He added that upon his wife’s return, both the woman and the child had vanished. They were then informed that their baby had been abducted.

The couple’s ordeal was compounded by the initial suspicions directed towards Ms. Chikwanha. “I argued with my wife over this issue, suspecting that she had sold the child, and we nearly divorced,” Mr. Chako confessed. “We consulted every traditional healer and prophet in the country, where we were given false hope. We sold cattle and all our belongings, leaving us with nothing. The police did their job, and my child was found in 2022, healthy, along with another child who had been abducted by the same woman.”

Despite the pain and uncertainty, the couple went on to have two more children. Their stolen son was finally reunited with his family in 2023 and is currently in Grade 6.

The abduction had a devastating impact on the family’s livelihood. “My cross-border trading business collapsed because of this issue,” Mr. Chako revealed. “The process of getting our child back took time as he was initially taken by the Department of Social Welfare. We would visit him there, and we were subjected to DNA tests, which confirmed that he was our child, and we were then given custody. I urge all mothers and fathers to safeguard our children wherever we are.”

Ms. Chikwanha expressed her deep regret and the initial shock she experienced. “After my child was stolen, I had a difficult time with my husband and his family, including the police, who suspected that I had sold the child,” she said. “Our child was eventually given back to us in 2023, after he was found with the woman who had stolen him. I became extremely thin because of this issue, and we sold all our household property until we were left with nothing.”

She described the moment the police informed them of their son’s discovery as surreal. “Our child was returned to us on 20 August 2023, meaning it has been two years since our child came back,” Mrs. Chikwanha stated. “Furthermore, I urge women to safeguard their children wherever they are. We are also appealing for financial assistance to start a new life and ensure that our child attends a good school. Where we are staying in Murisa Park belongs to my uncle.”

In addition to their son who was abducted, the family has a 14-year-old son who lives with a disability.

As they rebuild their lives, the Chako family is appealing for assistance from the community. Those who wish to support them can contact them on 0778 661 071 or 0782 408 722.