Lawyers for SuperSport FC’s Mahachi deny child abuse allegation by ex-wife

Lawyers for Kudakwashe Mahachi in Zimbabwe have attempted to address allegations of child abuse against the SuperSport United footballer.

Mahachi’s ex-wife Marita Ndlovu and her lawyers are alleging that the player and his new wife Rose Mahachi scalded his four-year-old son with boiling water and beat him in SA before allegedly smuggling the child back to Zimbabwe on a “malayitsha” minibus taxi.

Ndlovu said part of the boy’s right foot had to be amputated at Bulawayo’s Mpilo Central Hospital where he is still being treated. She has insisted she intends to travel to SA to open a case of attempted murder against Mahachi once the boy is healthy enough to accompany her.

A lawyer for Mahachi, Nkosiyabo Sibanda, said the boy was transported to Zimbabwe by “malayitsha” (transport to Zimbabwe) but had no injuries when he left SA and the correct documents were used for the boy to cross the border. “The child was never burnt at the point he was sent to Zimbabwe,” he said.

Ndlovu WhatsApped photos to TimesLIVE she alleges show the injuries to the child. They depict severe scalding on the head, torso and limbs.

She said she sent the boy by plane to live with his father in SA in February. She alleges she received a call on April 19 from Mahachi’s grandmother in Bulawayo saying the child was ill and to come fetch him. Ndlovu said she found the boy with the alleged injuries.

Mpilo Hospital acting CEO Professor Solwayo Ngwenya confirmed severe injuries to the boy that appeared to match those in the photos sent by Ndlovu.

“I can confirm that the hospital admitted a four-year-old child about three weeks ago with horrible life-threatening and life-changing injuries to his head, body and limbs. ” Ngwenya said.

“The child’s foot was badly injured and auto-amputated. Doctors have cleaned the sores and treated him. He is responding well to treatment. He has suffered enormous psychological trauma and will be permanently disabled.”

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Lawyers for Mahachi held a press conference in Bulawayo on Tuesday, to answer the allegations against their client.

Sibanda, of the Tanaka Law Chambers firm, said their client “wishes to state that he never did such an act to his only son and the stories that he is responsible are a fabrication and are designed to tarnish him as an international footballer”.

“Our client will soon take the legal route to protect his son, first; and second he will be approaching the courts to deal with the issues of his image which has been tarnished by these stories.”

Asked why the boy flew to SA but returned by “malayitsha” to Zimbabwe, Sibanda said the footballer “has always used this mode of transport and the person who transported the child was a trusted colleague of Mr Mahachi and this was not the first time he used this individual to transport his son, other members of his family or even himself”.

Ndlovu told TimesLIVE part of the boy’s foot had to be amputated.

“They amputated half of his right foot because there was so much puss. He was burnt. The boy is saying it was boiling water.”

Asked if her allegation is that Kudakwashe and Rose Mahachi inflicted the injuries, Ndlovu replied: “Yes.”

She alleged the child told her “his father did this but the step-mom [Rose] also beat him. He said he never went to hospital in SA”.

“If this was from an accident they would have taken the child straight to hospital in SA.”

Ndlovu and her lawyers said they opened a case at Norkem Park police station in Kempton Park last year alleging Mahachi had severely beaten his ex-wife in 2014, but nothing came of it. They allege Ndlovu was intimidated by Mahachi after laying the charge and forced to return to Zimbabwe.

Warrant officer AJ van der Heever confirmed such a case was opened “about a year ago”, then closed. Asked via email for the exact dates and charges, Van der Heever did not respond by the time of publishing.

Ndlovu’s lawyer in SA, Mabu Marweshe, said criminal charges would be laid against Mahachi for the injuries inflicted on the child.

“When the mother returns to SA we will finalise the charges of attempted murder, smuggling the child out of the country and anything else.”

Ndlovu said she was married to Mahachi from 2012 to 2018.

The club has suspended the player from all club football activities with immediate effect and advised him to attend to his family and the allegations against him

—  SuperSport United FC

Kudakwashe Mahachi's legal representative in SA, James Ndebele of Ndebele Attorneys, was reached for comment and responded with a lawyer's letter.

“The allegations against our client alluded to in your questions are entirely untrue and without any foundation, ” Ndebele said in the letter.

“Suffice to say that our client denies all the allegations — we do not consider it appropriate to comment and/or respond to any of your questions.

“We trust that you will refrain from publishing the allegations concerned. This is especially so as publishing them would render you liable to defamation.”

Kudakwashe Mahachi was briefly reached for comment on his cellphone, but hung up after TimesLIVE identified itself and did not respond to further attempts to call him or to text messages sent to him offering the player a chance to respond.

Rose Mahachi could not be reached for comment on her cellphone.

Reached for comment, SuperSport responded with a statement: “SuperSport United FC is aware of serious allegations levelled against our player Kuda Mahachi.

“The club has suspended the player from all club football activities with immediate effect and advised him to attend to his family and the allegations against him.

“The matter may be subject to judicial processes and the club will make no further comment at this time.”

The contract of 28-year-old Zimbabwe international Mahachi with SuperSport reportedly expires in June.

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