School teacher found dead following dispute over niece's pregnancy

A TEACHER from Chidzikwe Secondary School in Masvingo was found dead in a bushy area following an alleged dispute with his wife over his niece's pregnancy.

While Masvingo police spokesperson Inspector Charity Mazula could not be reached for comment yesterday, provincial education officers confirmed the death.

Masvingo provincial education deputy director Andrew Chikwange said his office had been notified of the death of a teacher identified as Charles Nyangari (age not given) on Saturday afternoon.

"I confirm receiving a report to the effect that our employee stationed at Chidzikwe Secondary School under Summerton farming area collapsed and died. The death could be health-related as the information we are getting from relatives suggests," said Chikwange.

However, fellow teachers said Nyangari had quarrelled with his unnamed wife, a teacher at Chidzikwe Primary School prior to his death. They alleged Nyangari had an affair with his niece whom the couple stayed with.

"Nyangari was said to have been seeing his niece. The two's philandering caught the attention of the man's wife who confronted him over the issue on Friday," said a teacher who preferred anonymity.

"The affair had been going on for a long time but the wife didn't know despite the trio staying together."

The source said Nyangari's wife got angry after discovering their niece was pregnant and assaulted her husband who did not retaliate but remained passive while apologising.

"We heard the wife uttering obscenities on top of her voice on Friday night. The following morning we saw Nyangari looking distressed," said the teacher.

"Later that afternoon we learnt that Nyangari was found dead in a nearby bush and suspected that he committed suicide."

The teachers said police attended the scene after one of them made a report and Nyangari's body was taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary for postmortem.