Councilor caught pants down with school pupil in own lodge

Masvingo Provincial Councilors for Ensuring Development (Councilors 4ED) chairperson who is Chiredzi Urban's ward 2 councillor Obert Ngwenya was allegedly caught pants down with a lower six Hippo Valley High School pupil at his Westhood Lodge by one of his workers.

Ngwenya is alleged to have dated the pupil for some days and would send his driver only identified as Phiri to pick up the girl and her two friends at the school to his lodge where he would have quality time with the girl while her friends were in another room.

Hell broke loose when Ngwenya failed to buy food for the victim's friends who then began to gossip around the school until it reached school authorities who investigated the matter leading to expulsion of the three pupils.

Hippo High School Head could neither confirm nor deny the incident but referred questions to the District Schools Inspector (DSI).

"You can get in touch with the DSI, she is our spokesperson and the right person you should talk to," he said.

When asked if the matter had been reported there, the school head said it definitely could not have not reached her office.

Contacted for comment, the DSI Petronella Nyangwe said she could not comment on the matter via the phone and asked the reporter to send written questions so that she could forward them to the Provincial Education Director (PED)'s office.

"I cannot discuss about that matter over the phone, why don't you send questions of what you want to know so that I forward them to the PED. I think she is the one who can comment on the on the matter," said Nyangwe.

A source said the matter was however not reported to the police because one of the parents with the children in question is a teacher at the school and is allegedly afraid of Ngwenya and her reputation as a teacher.

"The victim's mother is a teacher at Hippo so she was said to be afraid of soiling her reputation. She was also afraid of Ngwenya whom she said is too powerful and may harm her, reason why she could not report to the police.

"When the matter came to light, the pupils were asked to write reports in which they indicated that the girl in question is the one who started talking to the councilor pretending to be someone else until they agreed to date and later visited the lodge several times.

"They were then expelled from school but the parents came and spoke to the school and the DSI ordered their readmission to school saying it was unlawful for them to expel pupils because of the matter," said the source.

In letters leaked from the school attributed to the girl and her friends, she narrated how she had asked for Ngwenya's contact and talked to him pretending to be someone until they fell in love and the politician began to pick her and friends to Westhood lodge.

"One day we were in class (name withheld) talked about blessers (those old men who date school children, indulge in sex with them giving them money) and she mentioned Mr Ngwenya. I asked for his number. We started chatting. I even called him pretending to be (Name withheld), a girl he once dated. I wanted him to send me money but he did not…" read part of the leaked letter.

On the day in question she said one of the lodge's employees entered the room, found Ngwenya undressed and she screamed loudly such that her friends who were in another room heard the screaming.

She was ordered to go to the other room and she told her friends what had happened.

"On Thursday, it was a sports day again, the three of us went to the lodge. We were collected by the same car by Phiri and we were in school uniforms. We went to the lodge to collect Mr Ngwenya. We then went to town together with him. We were bought two boxes of Chicken Inn and one box of pizza which (Name withheld) had ordered.

"We went back to the lodge then (names withheld) locked themselves in a room whilst I and Mr Ngwenya were in another room. We just kissed and when he was about to put off my clothes, a maid just came in unknowingly. She was like Maiwee-e and ran away because Mr Ngwenya had already put off his trousers. Mr Ngwenya ordered me to go in that other room," read the letter.

Another letter by the girl's friend alleges that on July 1 they went again to the lodge and the victim came back with red eyes and on being asked why her eyes were red she said it was exhaustion from a hard work she had done inside the lodge.

"Then Friday 01 July I refused to go but (name withheld) begged me and I went with them. We were left in the other room and she was in the other with Mr Ngwenya, they took about 20 -30 minutes then she came and we asked her why her eyes were red and she replied that ‘Pashandwa basa'," read part of the letter.

The source said the matter had since opened a can of worms as a number of organizations that deal with the girl child are getting involved.

"The matter is being suppressed and Ngwenya is doing all he can to sweep the matter under the carpet but several organizations that deal with the girl child have now been involved and it's just a matter of time before it blows," said a source.

Contacted for comment Ngwenya said he was in a meeting and said he will revert back while on another attempt to get his side of the story he said he was travelling and would get in touch later.