AN unknown assailant on Sunday afternoon pounced on two Empandeni High School pupils who were on a picnic outing and robbed them of their mobile phones after shooting and injuring one of the young girls.
The Roman Catholic-run High School is located in Mangwe
district, Matabeleland South.
The two girls are day scholars, one in Form Three and the
other Form Four.
Their parents are teachers at the school, according to a
source at the institution.
They were attacked between 2-3pm on Sunday afternoon and
were rushed to Empandeni Mission Clinic for treatment. They were later
transferred to Plumtree District Hospital where they have since been discharged
and are said to be recovering at home, although still traumatised.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson, Inspector Loveness
Mangena confirmed the attack and said an investigation and manhunt for the
assailant has since been launched.
Empandeni High School headmaster, Mr Mandla Ndlovu could
neither deny nor confirm the attack, but referred questions to the Mangwe
District Schools Inspector, Mr Danisa Nkomo, who could not be reached as his
mobile phone was not going through.
Sources, however, said when the assailant pounced on the
two girls, they had gone to take pictures of the spilling Empandeni Dam.
“These girls are learners at Empandeni High School but not
boarders so they went to the dam to take some photos and it was while they were
there enjoying themselves that the assailant, who was riding a bicycle emerged
from nowhere and ordered them to give him their mobile phones,” said the
source.
The source said the two young girls refused to give their
assailant the phones, but instead tried to make good their escape with the
assailant hot on their heels.
“As they were running away, one of the girls,
unfortunately, fell down while her friend continued to run.
It was then that the attacker drew his gun and shot the
little girl who was still running and the bullet hit her on the foot. The
incident has unsettled the entire school and the community especially since the
assailant is still unaccounted for and may even pounce again,” said the source.
Another source said the assailant, who was riding a Buffalo
brand bicycle, was wearing a red T-shirt and a black pair of trousers. Chronicle
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