Teacher abuses 10 schoolgirls

Samuel Kadungure Crime Reporter
A Rusape teacher who was once expelled for abusing a schoolgirl was this week nabbed on five counts of aggravated indecent assault and another five of indecent assault. The arrest of Revai Kaswa, who was redeployed to Nechironga Primary School following his readmission into the profession in 2009, has sent tongues wagging as teachers and pupils at the school claimed that the magnitude of abuse was underreported as previous cases were swept under the carpet. Manicaland police deputy spokesman Assistant Inspector Luxon Chanada confirmed Kaswa’s arrest for the alleged offences perpetrated from October 1 to October 23, 2015.

Asst Insp Chananda said police were keen to dig deeper into the unfolding child abuse saga and appealed to schoolgirls and members of the public with information on the goings on at the school to report. “Investigations are in progress and most importantly we want to appeal to other girls at the school who could have been abused to lodge complaints with police. We want all girls in abusive situations to report such cases.

“As we speak, he has been charged with 10 criminal counts, five being charges of aggravated indecent assault in which he touched and inserted his fingers in the genitals of the complainants on different occasions.

“Kaswa has also been charged with five more counts of indecent assault. He was accused by the complainants, who are all Grade 5, of fondling their breasts and buttocks,” said Asst Insp Chananda. “The offences were committed from October 1 to October 23, 2015. Kaswa would instruct each complainant to stay behind in the class after dismissing other pupils. He would threaten the complainants with unspecified, but that could not deter some of the abused girls reported their ordeal to one female teacher who tabled that matter before other female teachers out of which a decision was taken to report the matter to Rusape police,” said Mr Chananda.

A teacher at Chironga Primary School who spoke to The Manica Post on Monday evening claimed that police had to be at their usual best to arrest the suspected child molester. “He tried to resist but police were equal to the task. He tried to escape detection by hiding in a blair toilet, but was sold out, and police had to apply a bit of some force to cow him into submission. He was mobbed and chided by both school children and parents,” said the teacher.

Parents who spoke to The Manica Post on Wednesday demanded an exhaustive investigation into the unfolding saga and called for his immediate removal from the school.

“We believe this could be a tip of a very big iceberg, and we would like to appeal to both police and the ministry to do their best to bring normalcy at the school. We are really concerned about what is happening at the school as this is not the first time such allegations have been raised. The only difference is that police have moved in now and issues raised in the past died a natural death. We want those issues to be resurrected and corrective measures taken against the culprits,” said the parent on condition of anonymity.

Kaswa, who resides at the Public Works Cottages, in Vengere, was expected to appear in court on Thursday.