Reprimanded pupil drinks rat poison

A 19-year-old O-Level pupil at St Mary's Secondary School in Beitbridge committed suicide by consuming rat poison after her guardian and teachers reprimanded her for selling Avon products at the school. Loveness Mazarire died at Beitbridge District Hospital last Monday after taking the poison on Saturday morning.

The Form 4 pupil was being treated for organophosphate poisoning, a condition caused by poisoning from insecticides, medication and nerve agents.

Sources close to the case said things got to a head on Friday when one of the teachers told her guardian that she was very dull and that she spent time selling Avon products at the school.

"This angered the guardian who thoroughly beat her up. We understand she could not take the embarrassment of being labelled dull and decided to take her own life. She drank rat poison before hiding under a bed in her bedroom," said the source who preferred anonymity. "Her relatives later found her writhing in agony and bleeding from both the nose and mouth."

The source said Mazarire was rushed to the district hospital where she succumbed to poisoning on Monday.

Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, Mrs Tumisang Tabela, said she was yet to get a report on the matter.

"We don't condone vending or trade of any kind by school children. Instead they must concentrate on their studies rather than mixing education with vending," she said.

A visibly dejected Mr James Kufazvineyi, who stayed with the pupil, dismissed reports that she was assaulted.

He said Mazarire was his mother's younger sister and that it was taboo for him to assault her in any way.

"She was like a mother figure to me and there was no way myself or my wife could have assaulted her. It's un-cultural.

"After getting the reports about her activities, we sat down as a family and reprimanded her, pointing out that it would disturb her studies. She indicated that the Avon products belonged to her friend's sister whom she was supposed to meet on the same day she drank poison," said Mr Kufazvineyi.