Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
MZINGWANE High School is once again under the spotlight following allegations that the head master handcuffed and tortured a learner during a disciplinary incident
The headmaster, Stanley Tizora, dismissed the claims as false and politically motivated.
The controversy, which has spread across the school community and social media, centres on a learner previously linked to a drug-related case. Reports claim the pupil was publicly humiliated during disciplinary action, with allegations of being forced to kneel, physically handled and restrained in front of other students.
“Please protect us from Mr Tizora. Our headmaster almost killed a boy today after he was found with cigarettes and mbanje in front of the whole school.
“Yes, the boy was in the wrong, but what the headmaster did was not right.
“He put him in handcuffs and forced him to crawl on his knees while following behind, kicking him until he started bleeding badly.
“The head went around pulling learners out of classrooms so they could come and watch.
“He then put a sack over the boy’s head and poured water on him, saying he does not tolerate nonsense…” reads a message (translated) circulating on social media.
However, Tizora rejected the allegations and insisted the situation is being distorted.
“The boy was caught delivering drugs to boarders. The matter was handed over to the police and went to court. He received a suspended sentence,” he said.
He maintained that school authorities followed proper procedures and denied any form of abuse.
“When I came to Mzingwane in 2022, the school was under-performing, with O-level pass rates around 30 percent and A-level at about 60 percent. Since then, we have worked hard to improve results, and now O-level pass rates are around 75 percent while A-level is above 90 percent.
“We have also introduced major developments at the school, including improving infrastructure and learning facilities. The school was in a difficult position, but we have made significant progress,” said Tizora.
Concerned parent Mbuso Dlodlo says the incident is part of deeper, long-standing tensions within the school, particularly around leadership and governance.
“There have been ongoing issues of internal conflict and resistance to leadership at the school over the years,” he said, suggesting that the timing of the allegations could be linked to internal disputes now spilling onto social media.
Despite this, Dlodlo stressed that learner safety must remain a priority and that disciplinary procedures should always be properly followed. Tizora believes he is the target of a co-ordinated smear campaign, arguing that similar battles have plagued previous school heads.
“Since I came here, there have been continuous attempts to tarnish my image and destabilise the school. These issues are being revived,” he said.
An education official added weight to the governance concerns, pointing to a history of leadership disputes at the institution.
The official said smear campaigns against headmasters are a legacy in that school. Part of the blame, the official said, falls squarely on the Ministry in the way they have successively failed to deal with issues around the headship of that school decisively.
“At one point there was an acting head at the institution and when the current headmaster was appointed procedurally, the acting head had to be transferred when the new head came but that was not the case. That to me was a flagrant violation of protocol and could be part of the reasons why we have such upheavals in the institution. There have been spirited efforts to have the current head transferred dating back to as far back as 2022. So, yes, the administrative problems around the headship of Mzingwane are a legacy issue and even if this headmaster leaves, the issue will still come back to haunt this institution,” said the official.
With emotions running high and narratives clashing, calls are growing for an independent probe to establish the truth.
