Online Reporter
Obey Sibanda
IN Wililisa village, Ward in Matshetsheni, Matabeleland South, the journey to school has for years carried more than books and uniforms. It has carried fear. Girls in the community have now opened up about a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse and forced sex by men in the village—people who were expected to protect them.
These personal tragedies are the human face of cold data from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT). According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census (PHC) Fertility Thematic Report, Matabeleland South remains a critical area of concern, ranking in the top five highest provinces for teenage pregnancies alongside Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Manicaland, and Mashonaland East. In rural Matabeleland South, the adolescent fertility rate stands at a staggering 147 births per 1 000 girls aged 15–19, nearly triple the rate of their urban peers.
Many say the attacks happened on the long route to and from school, in bushy stretches where help was far away and silence became the shield. The ZIMSTAT 2024 Provincial Profile for Matabeleland South underscores this crisis, ranking the province 8th out of 10 for secondary school net attendance. This drop in attendance is directly fueled by the 36-kilometre daily gauntlet that learners must walk in villages like Williisa.
“For some of us, being forced became something we pretended not to understand. It was like it had become normal, yet it was never normal,” said a victim, describing how the threats were so heavy that the girls often had no courage to report to parents or elders.
The result was devastating. Many pupils were forced to drop out of school due to unwanted pregnancies, with the majority becoming young mothers long before they had finished learning. Sibonile Ndlovu, one of the villagers who spoke to this publication, noted that most of her peers never saw the inside of a Form 3 classroom.
“We used to walk long distances and pass bushy areas where we feared being alone. These young men would accompany us, then start proposing love to us. We refused, but when it happens repeatedly you end up giving in. You find yourself picking some just to survive,” she explained.
Ndlovu said the girls were not simply attacked; they were pressured and trapped. She said some had to be treated for STIs as sex was almost always without protection. Ndlovu said many of her peers did not go past Grade 7 or Form 2 as they had to drop out after falling pregnant, absconding from school to avoid abuse, or escaping to neighbouring South Africa to flee the hardship related to long distances and the pressure of juggling school with numerous household chores.
In exchange for compliance, some abusers would sometimes offer food, turning hunger into a bargaining chip. “It became a norm. As you go to school you will end up having sex. They would even buy us food in return for sex,” she said, with a voice that carried both pain and disbelief.
What shocked the community most is that this suffering continued for years without intervention. Many girls were too afraid to tell anyone. Others tried to escape the danger by withdrawing from school entirely. The heartbreak has not only robbed girls of education but it has followed families home, turning into sleepless nights and fear for the safety of younger siblings.
Among those who spoke was Gogo Juliet Nkomo (81), who said she has personally been accompanying her grandchild to school fully aware of the risks. “It is a daunting task. I have to travel 18 kilometres to the nearest school and another 18 kilometres back home. It means I don’t have time for my chores and farming like I used to,” she said. For her, the long walks have become a poverty trap.
Still, she said she felt relieved when the problem finally received attention through a promise to build a school. Villagers said their situation came to light after the shadow MP for Gwanda North, Lungisani Costa Ncube, popularly known as Cde Two Minutes, was approached.
When he visited the village, he was told the nearest secondary school was about 18 kilometres away. He reportedly expressed disappointment because distance alone, he said, was a recipe for harm and the high GBV stats recorded in ZIMSTAT’s provincial profiles.
“It is not just distance. It is danger. When children are forced to walk such long routes, you must expect problems,” said a villager quoting Cde Two Minutes’ reaction during his visit, where he promised them that the construction of a school would begin quickly. “This man promised that he would deal with our problems in two minutes,” said Gogo Nkomo.
Villagers say the promise has started becoming reality. Cde Two Minutes has begun constructing a school, including ablution facilities and a classroom block, while plans for teachers’ quarters have also begun. During the tour of the school, Cde Two Minutes told villagers that his original plan was to build school blocks steadily. However, after assessing the community’s needs, he realised the problem required a bigger solution to alleviate the negative stats.
“I have realised the need of this community is bigger than what meets the eye. I have changed my mind. I want to construct a much bigger school,” he said. He added that the plan will now include boarding facilities, which will help attract learners and reduce the need for long daily trips. “In Two Minutes I will be done. I have done it before,” he said, explaining that boarding will keep pupils safer.
It is on record that Cde Two Minutes has been associated with development projects in Gwanda North, including classroom blocks, school refurbishments, and drilling boreholes. For Wililisa, however, the school is more than construction. It is a shield for children, a chance to restore dignity, and a promise that the walk to learning will no longer be a walk into danger.
As the community looks toward a future where learners can attend school closer to home, villagers say they also want more than buildings. They want protection for the children, accountability for offenders, and counselling support for victims and families affected by abuse.
