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Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
THE Government has dismissed claims by a non-governmental organisation, Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) and its off shoot Churches Convergence on Peace (CCOP), that there was a school in Chirumhanzu District in Midlands where 80 percent of the girls were impregnated by artisanal miners operating nearby, 70 percent of which tested HIV-positive.
ZCA Midlands co-ordinator Ms Victoria Koke made the stunning revelations during a Churches Convergence on Peace Conference organised by ZCA and co-funded by the European Union at Fairmile Hotel in Gweru recently.
Ms Koke claimed that there was a school in Chirumhanzu (name withheld) where about 80 percent of the pupils were pregnant of which 70 percent were HIV-positive.
She claimed the pupils were impregnated by artisanal miners operating at a nearby mine and learnt of the matter when they were called to mediate.
“In the Midlands Province we have an issue in Chirumhanzu where there is a school where 80 percent of the girls were impregnated and 75 percent tested HIV-positive.
“As Zimbabwe Christian Alliance we went there to mediate the matter where we talked to the mine, school authorities and the community.
“We are now waiting for 7 September where we are going to meet school authorities,” she said.
However, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavima said the allegations were false and malicious. He said the ministry was not aware of such an incident, adding that if anything of such nature had happened the provincial office would have appraised him.
“If you look at the statistics that they are talking about it means it is a big number. Obviously our provincial office would have informed us. Those are lies and people should not go about telling citizens unverified information. It is bad and malicious information,” he said.
Acting Midlands Provincial Education Director Mr Emmanuel Mpofu also dismissed the claims. He, however, said he will send a team from the ministry to investigate the matter.
“We are not aware of such an incident. If that had happened our district office would have informed us. We are going to send a team to the school in question to find out. We will however, wait for the schools to open,” he said.
An official from National Aids Council (Nac) also dismissed the claims that pupils were tested for HIV at the school.
“Those are lies. People are giving wrong information. If people had been tested at the school we would have been told. Such statistics are definitely something that we would be concerned about and we would have known. These are lies,” he said.
Online Reporter