Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
THE gang-rape of a 17-year-old Masasi High School girl, who was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted by her two schoolmates in February, has exposed the dark side of community conspiracy of silence in such cases after the perpetrators’ parents, school authorities, and local leaders remained mum about the heinous offence for seven months.
The silence, which is often rooted in cultural values prioritising family and institutional reputation over the victim’s well-being, forced the victim to suffer in silence as she had no one to sensitise her about her rights or encourage her to report the incident to the police.
It has emerged that despite being allegedly aware of the incident, the school head — one Mr Kwembeya — and his administration did not do anything, and only sprung to action when the videos went viral on various social media platforms.
It was only then that the alleged perpetrators as well as the victim were expelled, instead of protecting her.
The latest revelations have sparked public outrage, with many questioning the school administration’s wisdom, priorities, and commitment to protecting the vulnerable girl child.
Furthermore, the community leaders and members remained silent, showing no inclination to protect the victim.
The girl’s mother was kept in the dark, and only became aware of the case recently when Mr Kwembeya reportedly informed her, and she was shocked to discover that other villagers were aware of the abuse all this while.
She also disclosed that her child has cognitive health challenges, which the boys may have exploited.
“I only learnt of the case recently from villagers who told me that my child featured in a pornographic video. The headmaster also contacted me, and I assumed it was a recent incident. My child has learning difficulties — being a slow learner, who cannot read or write. We send her to school because it is her right, which we must respect. She lacks awareness of dates and months.
“I do not even wish to see the video and pictures — I am deeply hurt. It was the boys who informed the authorities that the incident occurred in February. I am in immense pain, and the thought of it leaves me shattered. I had never met the boys’ parents before and only encountered them for the first time at the police station. My husband is also severely affected — he broke down over this issue,” she said.
When The Manica Post crew visited Masasi Village in Mutare West Constituency on Tuesday, other villagers admitted being aware of the case.
Some even mentioned names of the victim and alleged perpetrators, but none of them was bold enough to take action, and report the incident to the police.
The suspects were arrested only last Sunday, about seven months after the sexual assault, following the circulation of the video on social media, which prompted the police to act swiftly.
The two suspects, aged 17 and 16 respectively, have since appeared before Mutare regional magistrate, Mrs Pathekile Msipa, facing allegations of rape, aggravated indecent assault, and indecent assault.
In the first count, the suspects were charged with rape as defined in Section 65(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23), while in the second count they were being charged with aggravated indecent assault asdefined in Section 66 (b) (ii) of the Criminal Law and (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
In count three, they were charged with indecent assault as defined in Section 67 (1) (a) (I) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
They were denied bail and remanded in custody until October 14 for routine remand.
Allegations are that on February 8 at around 4pm, the two suspects were in the company of the complainant, walking home from school.
Along the way, the 17-year-old boy allegedly gave the complainant a laced drink, which later intoxicated her.
The two allegedly dragged her to a secluded place in the bush, where they took turns to sexually abuse her.
During this disgusting act, the 16-year-old was taking a video, which later went viral on social media after he shared it with a friend.
When contacted for comment, Mr Kwembeya referred questions to his superior, Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Richard Gabaza, who was unavailable for comment at the time of going to Press.
Though Mr Gabaza was not immediately available for a comment, this publication has it on good authority that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on Tuesday dispatched a team to investigate the incident.
The community had seemingly moved on with their lives, unworried about the incident, until the video started circulating on social media last weekend.
The school admin, School Development Committee (SDC), traditional and community leaders all chose to deliberately conceal the incident from police at Marange Station, which is within a walking distance of Masasi Village.
They only became concerned when the video of the rape incident went viral on social media platforms.
In a sensational claim, villagers also alleged that some teachers were also abusing schoolgirls, hence their lackadaisical approach towards addressing the issue.
One senior teacher (name supplied) is accused of impregnating a schoolgirl before forcing her to abort, and subsequently bought her parents’ silence to save his job.
“The previous headmaster was very strict, maintained a tight grip on learners, and there were no incidents of this nature. He was a disciplinarian who dealt with errant children. Now, it seems to be a free-for-all at the school. Another issue that needs to be addressed is the problem of ‘bush boarders’,” said Mr Danmore Kahwema.
Mrs Molline Muchato was blunt, calling for the immediate removal of Mr Kwembeya, whom she held responsible for indiscipline at the school and ignoring the rape incident.
“We request that the current headmaster be transferred. The gang-rape incident happened in February, and spread throughout the village, but it was dismissed as lies.
When we came across the video, we were shocked because the headmaster had remained silent on this serious matter. His only action was to expel the learners from the school, but we feel this was a clear case for the police which he should have promptly reported.
“Last year, there was a satanism scare and as locals we demonstrated against that.
One learner, who was affected later passed on. Some teachers were transferred over the issue. We are requesting for the appointment of a new headmaster,” said Mrs Muchato.
One of the suspects’ father said he thought the matter would be resolved at the school, and expressed surprise that his son would commit such an offence given that he is well-behaved at home.
“I became aware of the case in February. I was disappointed by his actions and disciplined him. He improved his behaviour after that. Then last week I came across the issue on social media. On Sunday, the police came and took my son into custody. I hope this will bring finality to the case. As a parent, it pains me that my child is now in custody, especially since I had already paid for his examination fees. We never approached the girl’s parents for negotiations, as the case was initially handled by the school. My child’s behaviour at home was generally good, but I was unaware that he would engage in such behaviour outside of home,” he said.
MutareRural District Council Ward 28 representative, Alderman Mathias Masasi, requested for the construction of more secondary schools in the ward to curb
‘bush’ boarding and reduce the distances travelled by learners.
He, however, absolved the headmaster of any wrongdoing.
“I only recently learnt of the case, and I am unsure whether the school authorities ignored it. The learners were suspended from attending school recently. We are uncertain whether the incident was related to drug use or the type of food we are consuming, but as a community we are shocked by what happened. The headmaster is leading the school well; I have not heard anything adverse about him since his tenure as deputy head,” said Councillor Masasi.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers union president, Mr Martin Chaburumunda lamented the diminished authority educators now have over learners, attributing it to rising cases of juvenile delinquency, indiscipline, and criminal offences among learners.
“There was a rush to abolish corporal punishment in schools. Learners are aware that no action will be taken against them if they misbehave. There is a need to re-examine the law and restore teacher authority over learners. Learners are not the same, and some require discipline to behave. Technological advancements, although welcome and unavoidable, have brought new challenges in managing young people both at school and home. There is a significant amount of explicit material on the internet that school-going children are accessing,” said Mr Chaburumunda.
