Goblins attack secondary school girls

SUSPECTED goblins are reportedly disrupting lessons at St Sebastian Secondary School where they are reported to be attacking girls.

The school is in Sigangatsha village under Chief Malaba, Matobo district in Matabeleland South province.

The pupils are reportedly seeing what they are describing as very short human beings that turn into baboons before attacking them.

The suspected goblins are reportedly only visible to their victims.

Speaking to reporters, a concerned parent, who witnessed one of the attacks during a school meeting, said the pupil who was attacked fell into a trance like a possessed person.

"I think that the pupil was possessed by demons. She fell into a trance and then all of a sudden she started screaming and kicking into the air vigorously for about five minutes. She did not say anything during the fit.

"When she recovered, she said she had seen a baboon trying to slap her," said the parent who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A staff member at the school who also declined to be named said the attacks began two weeks ago.

"This problem started two weeks ago when two pupils were attacked. We did not consider it a serious issue until more girls were attacked," said the staff member.

The staff member said now that the number of girls being attacked was increasing everyday, there was need for some cleansing to be carried out.

"We have since sent the affected pupils home to recover under the custody of their parents," said the staff member.

One of the teachers said that one of the girls fell into a trance when her teacher entered the classroom.

"She started screaming when her teacher entered the classroom. When she recovered she said very short human beings were accompanying the teacher. The pupil said the human beings turned into baboons.

Asked to comment on the problem, the Education Inspector for Matobo district, Mr Patrick Dube, confirmed the incident but could not give details.

"As a ministry when we hear issues we investigate.We went to the school on Thursday to investigate and we are yet to establish what is really happening at the school," he said.

Mr Dube said both the teachers and pupils told them of the strange happenings at the schools that were affecting girls.