Bulawayo (New Ziana) -The 16- year-old boy from Founders High School in Bulawayo who was knifed to death on Monday in Southwold by two students from a neighbouring school was buried on Friday in a state assisted funeral.
Wayne Ndlovu was stabbed on the neck after he allegedly confronted the two boys for bullying his friend.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at the United Bulawayo Hospitals and the two students from Hamilton High in Famona were arrested for his murder.
Speaking at an emotional send-off memorial service held at the school premises, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube said President Mnangagwa had joined the entire country and the Ndlovu family in mourning the deceased.
She implored parents to discipline their children at home, saying the country had been robbed of a future leader and a professional.
“This is a difficult moment for the nation. We have lost a future leader. I would like to take this opportunity to urge Bulawayo people to lead by example. Let us do good things that other people from another province will emulate us for. We don’t want to associate our province with bad things,” she said.
Ncube said President Mnangagwa had bemoaned the low pass rate in Bulawayo province, adding that drug and substance abuse should be nipped in the bud as it was ruining communities.
Former Education, Sport and Culture Minister Gabriel Machinga who is an uncle to the deceased said his death was a deep wakeup call not for Bulawayo province only, but the entire Zimbabwean society.
“A wake-up call because drugs that are now prevalent in schools are not manufactured in schools. These knives that are used to butcher others are not manufactured in schools but come from within society,” he said.
Machinga added that unless society acted now, tackling drug abuse and violence in schools would be a mammoth task.
Founder High head, Dorothea Moyo described the deceased as a promising leader and a sportsperson.
She appealed to students to desists from violent activities which led to unnecessary loss of life.
“We should not emulate cultures from other countries where violence prevails. In Zimbabwe and in our curriculum, we stress Ubuntu. That is not Ubuntu when you stab or knife someone with an intention to kill him at the age of 16. It is not acceptable.
“I can see students gathered here from other schools have been touched by this incident. This incident should teach us all to show love to one another as students regardless of the schools we go. We should have a good relationship as students not to be murderous,” she said.
In an interview with New Ziana on the sideline of the memorial service, Bulawayo Province police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube said they had noticed that delinquency was being discovered very late when children would have become drug addicts and urged parents to always monitor their children at home.
New Ziana
