Ex-SuperSport star Mahachi acquitted of attempted murder charge against son

Former SuperSport United football star Kudakwashe Mahachi has implored clubs to help him resurrect his career after being acquitted in a Zimbabwean court of attempting to murder his four-year-old son.

In a statement posted on his official Instagram account, Mahachi lashed out at his accusers.

The horrific saga saw images shared on social media allegedly depicting Mahachi's son with an amputated leg and horrific sores on his body. Mahachi was alleged to have assaulted his son with an iron bar and scalded his body with boiling water.

A Bulawayo magistrate ruled on Friday that the prosecution failed to prove the merits of the case and that witness evidence was contradictory.

Mahachi said the toddler had been diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis (also known as flesh-eating disease). He alleged two of his relatives had negligently allowed the boy's condition to spiral out of control while he was in their care.

The relatives, whose names are known to TimesLIVE, were asked to respond but declined.

“My son was a victim of negligence at the hands of family members who were meant to look after him at my home in Bulawayo [while Mahachi was playing in South Africa],” the player said in a statement.

“[Mahachi's son] was diagnosed with ulcer sepsis necrotic. The ulcers were on his scalp and his leg.

“When my son returned to Zimbabwe [from South Africa] on April 14 he was in the care of [relatives] ... After a few days there his condition began to deteriorate. [They] decided to self-medicate my son by having a local doctor administer injections to him at home without taking him to the hospital. It was only once his ulcers exploded he was rushed to hospital.

“Once examined medical experts ruled the condition was spreading so fast his leg would have to be amputated.

“I am just a broken man. I am pained by what happened to my son and how I was accused of an attempt to kill him despite reports from medical experts.”

Mahachi also hit out at his former wife, Marita Ndlovu, claiming she had tried to extort money from him.

He alleged she “demanded I pay her R2.5m” or “give her my house in Cowdry Park to end all this”. 

“I refused and decided to go to trial and have my day in court.

“I can only pray someone out there is willing to take a chance on me so I can go back to playing the sport I love.

“She accused me of kidnapping and smuggling my own child, yet each time he visited me in South Africa he returned [to Zimbabwe] in perfect health.”

Approached for comment, Ndlovu denied Mahachi's allegations. 

SuperSport suspended Mahachi in May, and “advised him to attend to his family and allegations against him”. His contract with the Pretoria club expired in July and was not renewed.

The Zimbabwe international, who also played for Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows, has not found a new club.

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