CHAOS reigned supreme at Kushinga Primary School in Odzi on Monday as parents bayed for the headmaster’s blood amid calls for his transfer following accusations that he was working in cohorts with a teacher who has been arrested for drawing blood from Grade One pupils for unknown reasons.
The headmaster, Mr Lloyd Kagurabadza and his family were
force-marched from the school by irate parents who left them about a kilometre
away from the premises with stern instructions never to set foot at the school
again.
The police had to restrain the angry mob.
The parents then called the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education offices, demanding Mr Kagurabadza’s transfer.
The teacher at the centre of the wrangle, Gaynor Mudimu
(32), is alleged to have taken blood samples from two learners.
She allegedly tried to buy their silence with a biscuit
each.
Mudimu has since appeared before Mutare provincial magistrate,
Mr Langton Carter for contravening Section 19 (1) (a) of the Anatomical
Donations and Post-mortem Act, Chapter 15:01.
She, however, denied the charges, saying she only took the
blood samples from the two children to conduct malaria tests.
She claimed that she had no ulterior motives.
Said Mudimu: “Your Worship, I was only testing them for
malaria. I had no other intentions. l needed to test them for malaria as they
looked sickly.”
Despite her arguments, Mudimu was remanded in custody to
September 23 for trial.
Mr Thurstone Mubvumbi represented the State.
Allegations are that on September 5 at around 6pm, Mudimu
invited an eight-year-old Grade One pupil to her house and drew blood samples
from the minor’s finger.
“Mudimu inserted a clinical syringe on the minor’s left
thumb and drew blood samples from her. After collecting the blood samples, she
handed over one loose biscuit to the minor and sent her home.
“However, when the minor got home, she told her parents
about what had happened. The minor’s parents reported the matter to the
school’s deputy head, Mrs Estella Manjeese, before the matter was referred to
the police,” said Mr Mubvumbi.
On September 6, Mudimu is alleged to have asked her Grade
One students to undergo a malaria test. One of the learners agreed to this and
Mudimu left the classroom with her and proceeded to her house.
She drew blood from the minor’s finger and gave her one
loose biscuit as payment for the process.
“Mudimu unlawfully and intentionally removed blood tissues
from both juveniles when she knew very well that at law she is not authorised
to do so,” argued Mr Mubvumbi.
The blood samples and the syringes were not recovered and
police investigations are underway.
When The Manica Post visited the school in Rashipango
Village under Chief Marange on Wednesday morning, officials from the Ministry
of Primary and Secondary Education were conducting investigations and
interviewing learners from Mudimu’s class to ascertain whether more children
were subjected to the same treatment.
Mr Kagurabadza was absent from work and Mrs Manjeese was
acting in his capacity.
In an interview with The Manica Post, one of the victim’s
aunt, Ms Janet Kamudyariwa said she is suspecting that Satanism was at play.
“When the police came to pick the teacher, she failed to
produce the blood samples. She says she misplaced them. We suspect that either
she sold or drank the blood.
“We have a strong conviction that she was working in
cohorts with Mr Kagurabadza because when we reported the incidents to him, he
brushed us off, saying it was a personal matter,” she said.
“After we continued probing him, he called for a meeting
with the parents. However, the meeting never materialised as the headmaster
kept on giving flimsy excuses. This irked us, prompting us to take the matter
into our own hands. We no longer want him here. He came here last year at
almost the same time with Mudimu. We suspect they already knew each other
before their transfer here,” fumed Ms Kamudyariwa.
The other victim’s mother, Ms Beauty Madzitire, who is also
a teacher at the school, said she was in Mutare when the incident happened.
“My daughter was here with my sister. I am told that when
Mudimu took the first blood samples from my daughter, she told her that she had
little blood in her body. Mudimu allegedly asked my daughter to watch her as
she took a bath so that she could draw more blood from her.
“If, indeed, she was testing her for malaria, why then did
she have to watch her teacher taking a bath? My daughter is recovering from the
trauma, the whole thing was just too much for her,” said Ms Madzitire.
Another villager, Mr Isaac Kassim said when quizzed about
the issue, Mudimu said she was conducting experiments for an undisclosed
development partner.
“Mudimu spent two days locked inside her house after we
confronted her. She only came out when the police visited the school. We pray
that Kagurabadza and Mudimu will never work with children again because they
are evil,” he said.
Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Edward Shumba
confirmed receiving a report of the disturbances at Kushinga Primary School.
He said they are waiting for the law to take its course
before deciding on the way forward. Manica Post
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