Family moots dumping dead pupil's corpse at school gate

LESSONS resumed yesterday at Mtshede Primary School in Bulawayo's Njube suburb under police guard.

This follows an incident where residents besieged the school on Wednesday baying for the headmistress' blood.

The residents wanted to "kill" the headmistress for sending a Grade One pupil, Nothando Ncube, home to collect money for civvies day. The girl was then fatally struck by a commuter omnibus on her way back to school.

When news crew visited the school yesterday, police officers were monitoring the situation wielding batons.

When the news crew asked to speak to the headmistress, one unidentified teacher said she was too busy and told the news crew to come back on another day.

The news crew also visited the relatives of Nothando who were gathered at a house in Old Lobengula, her home.

Her grandmother, Gogo Otilia Ncube, said the family was contemplating dumping the body of her granddaughter at the school gate.

"I still cannot believe that my granddaughter died over R5. I have never heard of such a thing and I hope that the headmistress and her teacher have a good explanation to what happened to her," said Gogo Ncube.

"I think the best thing to do is to take Nothando's body and the R5 to the school so that at least she can spend the money and eat the body."

She said the school authorities had displayed an alarming level of disrespect, as they did not even visit the family to apologise.

"These people are not only mean but disrespectful. Not even one of them has bothered to come and visit or to apologise. I wonder whether they understand how they have offended us," said Gogo Ncube.

"I think the best thing is to take Nothando's body to the school gate and we will kindly request them to bring her back to life or to eat her."

Contacted for comment, the Bulawayo provincial education director (PED) Mr Dan Moyo, said he still did not have a report on the issue.

"I still cannot comment on the issue because I have not received an official comment from the districts. The education office has sent a delegation to the school and I do not know when I will be ready to comment on the issue," said Mr Moyo.

However, the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart expressed his sympathy to the Ncube family and urged residents to write a formal letter if they felt the headmistress had acted unprofessionally.

"Civvies days have lost meaning in schools nowadays as school authorities have turned them into fund-raising days.  Such days were meant for fun and children would bring money that was channelled to charity organisations," said Minister Coltart.

"It is tragic that a pupil lost her life because of that. I hope the school authorities will do something about the issue. Parents are free to write a formal letter to their district education officer and the PED if they feel the headmistress and the teacher acted unprofessionally."

He also urged schools to desist from imposing fun days on parents, but to consider what parents said as they had rights to decide whether such days were to be observed at schools.

According to the Chronicle newspaper family spokesperson, Mr Robert Ncube , said Nothando was going to be buried at the weekend.

"We are hurt and what makes matters worse is that the school authorities have not said anything over the issue. We are still deliberating on a number of issues, but Nothando will most likely be buried on Sunday at Njelele in Matobo," said Mr Ncube.

He appealed to the relevant authorities to help the family deal with the headmistress and the teacher only identified as Miss Ndlovu.

"Our child died in a painful manner. It was well known that Nothando could never go to school on her own, but they forced her to go on her own knowing the dangers that could befall her.

"We can as well say that the headmistress had planned the accident. She is too dangerous to be the head in that school," said Mr Ncube.

The officer commanding Bulawayo traffic, Superintendent Henry Mhlanga, said the driver of the commuter omnibus that fatally struck Nothando would appear in court today.

"The driver is still under police custody and he will appear in court today," said Supt Mhlanga.