News / Education
Blind students stage demo
06 Mar 2014 at 09:52hrs | Views
A HANDFUL of visually impaired students at the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ)-run Capota School and Workshop for the Blind in Zimuto communal lands took to the streets yesterday to protest the sacking of the principal Jeffrey Chiwera over allegations of embezzling money.
Capota, whose patron is President Robert Mugabe, is one of the largest institutions catering for the visually impaired in Zimbabwe and is home to over 350 students who are taught self-help projects such as art, woodwork, craft and metalwork, among other life skills.
Chiwera, who was suspended after falling out with church elders, was sacked on Tuesday after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of what his sympathisers described as "trumped up charges".
He was also charged with allegedly leaking stories to the media.
The placard-waving protesters were guided by an aide and marched around the streets of Masvingo city singing and toyi-toying before ending their demonstration at the RCZ headquarters, the Synod Centre.
The protesters, however, did not get an audience with RCZ moderator Rangarirai Rutoro as he was said to be out of town.
The demonstrators said Chiwera was sacrificed by some church leaders who were allegedly settling a score.
"The church elders used to get money from donors and we get little from it ..... they import cars using our names and yet they have fired Chiwera who was good at mobilising funds for the institution while they harvested the funds," one of the visually impaired inmates said.
They called on the government to take over the institution.
Capota, whose patron is President Robert Mugabe, is one of the largest institutions catering for the visually impaired in Zimbabwe and is home to over 350 students who are taught self-help projects such as art, woodwork, craft and metalwork, among other life skills.
Chiwera, who was suspended after falling out with church elders, was sacked on Tuesday after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of what his sympathisers described as "trumped up charges".
He was also charged with allegedly leaking stories to the media.
The protesters, however, did not get an audience with RCZ moderator Rangarirai Rutoro as he was said to be out of town.
The demonstrators said Chiwera was sacrificed by some church leaders who were allegedly settling a score.
"The church elders used to get money from donors and we get little from it ..... they import cars using our names and yet they have fired Chiwera who was good at mobilising funds for the institution while they harvested the funds," one of the visually impaired inmates said.
They called on the government to take over the institution.
Source - Southern Eye
