Police in Zimbabwe have arrested a 26-year-old man after a teenage girl died during childbirth, in a case that has sparked outrage among citizens and rights activists.
Anna Machaya, 15, is reported to have died and been buried last month at a church shrine in the eastern region of Marange.
Police have also arrested her parents.
The case has exposed the exploitation of minors, as she was reportedly forced to abandon school to get married.
Anna’s parents are accused of lying about her age and also pledging their nine-year-old daughter to the same man, Hatirarami Momberume.
He faces charges of child rape.
The three accused have not yet commented.
Anna’s death on 15 July, days after her birthday, has put the spotlight on the practice of child marriage within Zimbabwe’s popular Apostolic Church, which often rejects medicine and hospital treatment.
