TWO Grade Five pupils at Intunta Primary School in Bulawayo’s Sizinda suburb on Monday stumbled upon a half-naked body lying in the schoolyard in what is suspected to be a murder case.
The body, which was discovered by the two learners at around
7AM, had bruises and deep cuts raising suspicions that the deceased could have
been killed and dumped in the school yard.
The deceased has been identified as Mr Musawakhe Nceku
Mthunzi (21). When a Chronicle news crew arrived at the school, detectives from
the CID homicide were already at the scene conducting investigations.
Stunned residents who wanted to catch a glimpse of the
body, were milling in front of the school gate after they were blocked from
entering the school yard.
Musawakhe’s father, Mr Japhet Mthunzi, who lives in the
rural areas of Matobo in Matabeleland South, came and managed to positively
identify his son before the body was ferried to the United Bulawayo Hospitals
(UBH) mortuary.
Musawakhe was Mr Mthunzi’s last born from four
children.Speaking at a local funeral parlour on Wednesday, Mr Mthunzi said his
son was last seen drinking at the shops called koBasic.
“When I got home on Saturday, my wife told me that Musa had
not come home since Friday. I had come to see her because she wasn”t feeling
well. I went around asking his friends until Sunday.
I thought he had been arrested for not wearing a mask and was
detained at the police station or he was caught drinking in public,” said Mr
Mthunzi.
He said on Monday he decided to go to Tshabalala Police
Station to see if he could pay the fine for his son.
“When I was on my way there, I don’t know what made me change
direction towards the school, my heart just said divert this route.
When I got to the school, I saw people gathered there and,
in my head, I’m thinking that there was a fight and then I enquired what was
happening. I was then told that the body of a man was found in the school,”
said Mr Mthunzi.
He said people were not allowed to enter the school
premises but because he was looking for Musawakhe, he forced his way in.
“I asked inside and they said, the person had a black
t-shirt. I then phoned my wife and asked what he was wearing when he was last
seen and she said a black t-shirt. I then asked the people again, they said he
was wearing a jean and I phoned my wife again and she said he was wearing a
jean, but I didn’t tell her.
One of the employees at the school who knows me because my
children learnt there said to me, ‘mdala ungabalomnyama’.” Mr Mthunzi said he
was then given a chair while police did their investigations, thereafter he was
asked by police to identify the body.
“He was facing up. When I looked at him, I immediately said
this is my child. I was so pained and I did not know how to break the bad news
to my wife. The police took me in their car to our house about 2KM from the
school.
I was accompanied by a female and two male police officers
who broke the news to my wife,” said Mr Mthunzi.
He said a post mortem report says he was hit several times
on the head and that caused bleeding in the brain.
Mr Mthunzi believes his son was beaten up on Friday night
and either tried to run away from the assailants by scaling the school’s wall
or he was dumped there by the attackers.
Musawakhe was buried in Bulawayo yesterday.
Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Taungana Ndoro said lessons at Intunta
Primary School resumed on Tuesday, a day after the body was discovered and the
pupils are being counselled.
“To provide learner support services in light of the
traumatic experience they underwent, they are given psychological services by
our department Learner Welfare, Special Needs and Psychological Services
Department.
We have psychologists in the ministry who attend to those
learners and provide learner support services,” he said.
“It was just a suspension of lessons for that day and they
are now back to school. The same psychologists take time to address the
learners at the school class by class. They must have gone there and counselled
the learners by now.”
On Monday, a teacher who declined to be named said school
authorities had to dismiss learners early.
“Our bosses from the provincial education offices came and
directed us to cancel school lessons and dismiss the learners because there was
no other way children would pay attention in class after witnessing such a
horrific incident.
In fact, the two learners who discovered the body were traumatised,”
said the teacher. “Everyone at school was shocked and even the security guard
manning the yard was equally shocked as he didn’t witness any scuffle or see
the body being dumped.
Acting Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Assistant
Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident saying police were
investigating the suspected murder case. Chronicle
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