A
THIRTEEN-year-old pupil at Sacred Heart Girls Secondary School in Umzingwane
District, Matabeleland South Province, sustained serious injuries after she was
bitten by a mongrel dog on the school premises.
The pupil is in
Form One. A source privy
to the incident said a school guard neglected to secure the dogs in a kennel before pupils woke up
early in the morning to start preparing
for classes.
The norm at the
school, according to the source, was that the dogs were set free from their
kennels from 8pm and secured the following morning at 4am.
On the fateful
days it is alleged that a security guard at the school, Mark Ndlovu, forgot to
lock the pets in their kennels at 4am.
“He (Mark
Ndlovu) was on duty on that particular day and as usual he let out the dogs at
night when school children and staff members are no longer expected to be
outside.
“The pupils are
expected to be up early in the morning preparing for the start of classes and
the dogs should be locked in their kennels at
that time,” narrated the source.
At 4.25am the
unsuspecting girl was attacked by the animal.
“The pupil woke
up at around 4.25am and went outside and since the dogs were still roaming in the school yard, one of them attacked her before the school guard, who was
not close to the scene, could react and restrain the dog.
“The girl
suffered serious injuries,” added the B-Metro mole.
Screams by the
hapless child attracted the attention of school authorities who swiftly rushed to the scene and conducted first aid
on her before she was rushed to a private hospital in Bulawayo.
The school
guard subsequently fled the scene. According to
the source, school authorities allegedly did not make a police report.
Police,
however, received a tip-off that a pupil had been attacked by a dog and that
school authorities were trying to sweep the matter under the carpet, prompting
the law enforcement officers to launch an investigation.
It’s said one
of the teachers told police that school authorities were not aware that a
report was supposed to be made after a child was attacked by the dog.
Matabeleland
South Provincial Veterinary Officer Enat Mdlongwa said they tested the dog for
rabies.
“The dog was
tested for rabies after it was put down and it tested positive. Results will be
relayed to the school,” Mdlongwa said.
Matabeleland
South acting police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the
incident.
“We received a
tip-off from a member of the public that a pupil at Sacred Heart Girls
Secondary School was severely attacked by a
school dog.
“Our officers
conducted investigations and established that indeed a 13-year-old was attacked
by a dog but a police report was not made,” she said.
She added:
“Police established that the security guard is on the run and we are appealing
for information that may lead to his arrest.
Anyone with
information that may lead to his arrest should contact Assistant Inspector
Ncube on 0772226650 or ZRP Esigodini on (0292)800292, or at any nearest police
station.”
Matabeleland
South provincial education director Lefias Masukume said the issue had been
reported to a higher office.
“We are aware
of the case and we passed on the issue to the head office at the Ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education, so please contact them for a comment,” said
Masukume. B metro
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