Proceedings came to a standstill at Hotsprings Secondary School in Chimanimani last week after furious parents protested, accusing two teachers of initiating over 23 students into satanism.
The parents, angry over a series of strange occurrences that students were experiencing, hurled accusations at the teachers, who remained anonymous. The ZRP had to come to maintain order.
The agitated crowd, however, remained undeterred even in the presence of the police. Parents surrounded the police truck, vehemently demanding the immediate arrest of the accused teachers.
Reports emerged suggesting that since Sunday, students at the school had been exhibiting weird behaviour, including throwing themselves on the ground and shouting incomprehensible words. Netsai Kudana, a resident of Nemutenzi Village, alleged to Manica Post that her niece, along with four other girls, had manifested unusual behaviour at one of the teachers’ houses:
“My niece has been struggling to walk since when she manifested and slithered like a snake. We are clueless about how to assist her, the teachers involved should give us the answers. It all started yesterday morning when we heard that my niece’s classmate was manifesting at the school’s staff quarters. People gathered to witness the drama.
At least four girls were writhing on the ground and uttering inaudible words. My niece then fell to the ground and started slithering like a snake. Her classmate said she is part of the group that was initiated into satanism by their teacher,”
Maxwell Macheza shared a disturbing account of his daughter’s ordeal during a church service. According to him, the daughter claimed that one of the teachers directed her to kill her mother as a sacrifice to a cult, with initiation supposedly occurring through sweets sold by the teacher. There are snakes in the teacher’s house and a clay pot allegedly containing the names of the initiated students.
Acting Chief Mutambara expressed the readiness of a traditional leader to assist the affected learners at his location. However, parents resisted, insisting that the chief come to the school to address the matter directly. Additionally, they accused Hotsprings Secondary School head, Mr Matsikure, of colluding with the two teachers.
Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr. Edward Shumba, acknowledged the disturbances at the school. However, he emphasised that finding a lasting solution fell beyond the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. He added that community issues should be handled at the community level.
Source iHarare
