Mysterious deaths at school

MYSTERIOUS deaths have hit a primary school in Mutare District, with three pupils having lost their lives recently.

What is baffling the Chitakatira community is that only Grade Seven pupils preparing for their November examinations at Chitakatira Primary School are the victims of the mysterious deaths.

Some people are linking the deaths to Satanism.

The last death at the school was recorded last Wednesday and the names of the three pupils who have died so far were given as Patrick Chireshe, Cosmas Desha and Faith Chigodora.

Although the community has been left with more questions than answers, the school's headmaster, Mr Mabasa Mutedzi, described the situation as normal, arguing that anyone can die.

His superior and Mutare District Education Officer, Mr Nathaniel Machini, also ruled out foul play and said: "The deaths are natural. Satanism is difficult to prove. The headmaster phoned us last week reporting that there was a food poisoning-related death at the school. That was the only death he informed us about. Anyone can fall sick and die; so, we cannot link the deaths to Satanism."

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Chireshe and Chigodora died after eating roasted peanuts, but the source and vendors are unknown.

"Patrick died after eating peanuts which he had bought from unidentified women at a shop (name supplied) at around 6am. The funny thing is that when he gave the description of the vendor, it could not fit any of the women in the area. When he got to school, he started feeling unwell. Nobody took the issue seriously.

"However, when he got home his condition deteriorated and he was ferried to the hospital at around 4pm. His face was badly swollen when he eventually died around 10pm the same day. I also heard that the girl whom they buried on Friday died after eating roasted peanuts," said the source.

When The Manica Post visited the school on Monday, Mr Mutedzi confirmed the deaths, but was quick to say people were exaggerating the real situation on the ground.

"Of course, we have lost three pupils here so far this year, but people tend to blow these kinds of situations out of proportion. Cosmas, who died during the first term, was bitten by a rabid dog. The other two died after eating roasted peanuts. However, I strongly feel that parents and guardians are being negligent about their children's health. Had these children been attended to in time, I am quite sure we would not have lost a single life. Instead of linking the deaths to Satanism, I strongly feel that neglect was the cause of these children's deaths.

"Satanism is completely out of the question. On these matters, people should stop talking about things they can not prove. Society has its own beliefs and we should not deprive the children of their proper medical care because of our traditional beliefs. Death has always been there and there is nothing sinister about the deaths of our Grade Seven pupils," he said.

Faith Chigodora's family also confirmed that their child had died after eating roasted peanuts.

Mr Lovemore Gwidibira, Faith's grandfather told this publication that his granddaughter only managed to tell them that she had eaten groundnuts before her sudden death.

"She only told us that she had eaten some nuts and as we speak it remains unknown whether she bought them or one of her classmates gave them to her," he said.

Mr Gwidibira's wife, Susan also narrated how her grandchild had suffered during the last 48 hours of her life.

"She came home last Wednesday and I was sitting in this kitchen hut when she told me that she was not feeling well. She said she had eaten some nuts on her way from school.

"She started vomiting some black stuff and she seemed constipated.

"We took her to the local clinic, but the personnel there could not diagnose her illness. They gave us some painkillers. She later started passing out watery stool which was also black in colour. Her tummy was badly swollen and she later succumbed to the short illness," she said.