Female teachers flee, alleged sexual abuse

FEMALE teachers from Tshabili School in Beitbridge East have abandoned their
workplace alleging that they are subjected to sexual abuse by invisible intruders.
The six teachers last week left the school to make reports to the responsible
authorities in Beitbridge.
They vowed not to go back to the school until the culprit “using unnatural means to
molest them”, stops.
The strange intruder is reportedly making the women resent other males, despite
their dislike of the abuse.
One of the teachers is said to have experienced continuous menstrual discharge
when she visited her husband in South Africa.
But that ended when she came back to the school and she had not shared conjugal
rights with her partner putting her marital union on the rocks.
Traditional leadership in the area was advised and it is understood investigations
were done and the culprit identified. The leadership was not happy over the matter
and said it was time it was solved to stop the community from losing teachers.
It is not clear if it is possible to place any criminal charges and against the
perpetrator.
The female teachers have related how they are violated at night at their school
cottages.
They are reportedly waking up the following morning without clothes and
undergarments they wore before retiring to bed. They find their items all over their
individual rooms and wake up exhausted.
The headmaster at Tshabili, Alfred Ncube, referred questions to his superiors
despite it not being a policy issue.
Who gave you my number? I cannot comment, I am not allowed to speak to the
media, he said.
Where did you get my number? he asked again.
Beitbridge District Development Co-ordinator, Sikhangezile Mafu-Moyo, said her
office was aware of the report but referred questions to the Education Department for
details.
I understand the meeting is tomorrow (October 20) between my office, the
education officials, the school staff and the community. I am in Bulawayo on a
different assignment, but I have been informed of the development, she said in an
interview.

Beitbridge District Education Officer, Freedom Muleya, said he could not give details
but confirmed that it was indeed correct a meeting with the DDC, local leadership,
school development committee and staff and the community was scheduled for
Friday.
Officials from our office will attend the meeting. This is not an issue our office can
solve. It is something to do with the community, traditional leadership and the local
authority. These reports were made as early as January, he said without giving
further details.
On Thursday the six reported at their district education offices, the local district
council offices and the District Development Co-ordinators office to share their
misery at the hands of an unseen violator, believed to be using unnatural powers.
This is not the first incident in Zimbabwe where women reported sexual abuse by an
invisible intruder.
Commonly known as Mubobobo, some men are known to possess supernatural
powers that enables them to be intimate with women without their consent or
physical bond.
A school in Chivi, Masvingo Province, was closed for two weeks when all female
teachers and female students complained of sexual intrusion by goblins.
Another similar incident occurred in Bubi, Matabeleland North Province, where
students at Majiji Primary School lodged similar complaints.