SCHOOL HEAD ATTACKED BY GOBLINS IN OFFICE

THE headmistress of Ndangababi Primary school has been attacked by tikoloshis in her office, amid reports that the cleansing ceremony is now in limbo.

According to sources close to the developments, the headmistress, Mrs Sithabile Vicky, was found lying unconscious on her desk in her office with blood oozing from her nose. She was rushed to Lukosi Mission Hospital before being transferred to Hwange Colliery Hospital for specialist attention where she was reported to be stable.

“She phoned me asking for water in a strained voice and suspected something was wrong. Minutes later, she called another teacher and mumbled some inaudible words to her before we went to investigate and that’s when we found her face down on her table with blood coming out of her nose,” said one of the visibly shaken female teachers who refused to be named.

After momentarily regaining consciousness, the teachers who had come to her aid questioned her on what had happened and she told them that she felt something hitting her twice on the back of her head before she slumped to her desk. As they were moving her towards the cottages after calling an ambulance she suddenly screamed as if seeing something and lost consciousness again.

When Sunday News arrived at the school, children could be seen carrying on with their studies while the teachers were said to be locked up in a meeting with  Hwange District Education Officer Mr Lovemore Ncube and officials from the ministry of education. A few minutes later Chief Nekatambe also arrived but quickly excused himself saying he was headed for an important meeting in Hwange and had only passed through from Bulawayo after hearing the news of another goblin attack.

Following reports of strange things taking place at the teachers’ cottages all the teachers save for Vicky and her deputy fled for their lives until the Matabeleland North provincial education director Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni ordered them to report back for work after which she gave the parents an ultimatum to cleanse the school or face its closure.

Most of the female teachers including the headmistress had resorted to sleeping at Dampa Secondary School where they said they felt safer as there was electricity. The tolokoshis are said to be afraid of light hence their activities are mostly carried out in the darkness of the night.

“We have resorted to sleeping at the secondary school because we are afraid for our lives and the directive from the provincial office left us with no choice. We are working yes but things are no longer the same, yet the relevant authorities don’t see that we are in danger maybe until someone dies,” said another affected female teacher who added that she was considering quitting her job. Some male teachers who have remained at the cottages have resorted to drinking themselves into a stupor as a way of braving the night without being aware of the extraterrestrial activities.

However, reports have surfaced that the process might be delayed after Chief Nekatambe in whose jurisdiction the area lies refused the n’anga’s conditions. According to the conditions, the n’anga from Binga (name supplied) argued that the tikoloshis were coming from the community to terrorise the teachers at night hence it was more effective to cleanse the whole village instead of the school alone.

A showdown is expected between parents and teachers following the latest developments with the Friday deadline set by the provincial education office expected to lapse without action. A meeting with the villageheads has been announced for Friday where the traditional leaders are supposed to come up with a way forward following the chief’s refusal to have the whole area cleansed.

Since the onset of the incidences most teachers tendered in their transfer letters to the district office citing possible threats to their lives which were being aggravated by the community’s failure to address the matter with urgency.

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