Teacher “impregnates, cohabits” with pupil

By Munyaradzi Musiiwa

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched an investigation against a teacher at a school in Silobela in the Midlands province for allegedly cohabiting with a 16-year-old pupil who is in Form Four.

Parents and villagers in Silobela are up in arms with the teacher at Musilahove Secondary School who has since allegedly impregnated the pupil who learns at the same school where he teaches.

The Chronicle has it on good authority that Chief Malisa, under whose area the teacher and pupil are cohabiting, has since alerted the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as well as the police about the matter.

Midlands Provincial Education Director Mrs Agnes Gudo confirmed that the Ministry had received a report that a teacher identified only as Mr Goronga was cohabiting with a pupil.

“We sent a team to investigate the matter and the teacher fled from the school with the pupil when he heard that he was being investigated. He then resigned and refused to return to the school,” she said.

Chief Malisa said he approached Musilahove Secondary School headmaster identified only as a Mr Ndebele to report the matter but nothing has been done.

“We are not happy with what a teacher at Musilahove is doing. He is cohabiting with a 16-year-old girl at the school and nothing has been done. The headmaster is still to take action against the teacher. As the community we reported the matter to the police but they told us that the law was still to be changed and that a 16-year-old can consent to sex and can get married. We feel this is child abuse and that as a teacher, someone whom young people look up to for protection and advice, is not supposed to prey on the same children,” he said.

Chief Malisa also said they were not happy about how the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education had dragged its feet over the matter.

Silobela MP Cde Manoki Mpofu said he had also been alerted about the teacher-pupil cohabiting.

“This is disturbing news because we do not expect someone who is educated to that level to be doing things that he knows Parliament is advocating against,” he said. Chronicle