School boy stabs 'rival suitor'

THERE was mayhem at Chaplin High School in Gweru on Friday when a former pupil at the school sneaked into the institution's premises during a modelling function and allegedly stabbed one of the boys using a broken bottle over a girlfriend.

Witnesses to the incident said the aggressive boy was accusing his victim of snatching his girlfriend.
They said the drama intensified when teachers and some pupils gave chase to the violent boy, (name supplied), as he took to his heels soon after stabbing his "rival suitor".

In an interview, one of the teachers who attended the scene, Mr Willard Ncube, said the stabbed boy, a boarder at the school, was referred to Clay Bank Private Hospital for treatment.

He said the suspect, who was now doing Form Four at a private college after being expelled from Chaplin High owing to his violent behaviour, had sneaked into the school premises unnoticed by security personnel.

"The boy is no longer at Chaplin after he was expelled last year but he took advantage of a Miss Schools Event sponsored by the Ministry of Youth Development, Indeginisation and Economic Empowerment to sneak in. He then went on to stab one of our boys once on the head using a broken piece of bottle and in the process inflicting serious injuries to the boy," said Mr Ncube.

Mr Ncube said he was, however, disappointed when he, with a small group of boys who chased after the aggressive boy, were later subjected to assault by Gweru municipal police where the boy had sought refuge.

He alleged that the boy's father was employed as a municipal policeman and that he was handcuffed and assaulted with batons by the municipal police.

"I was really disappointed by the behaviour exhibited by Gweru municipal police. Instead of assisting us in apprehending the boy who had caused serious injury to one of our boys, they chose to protect the violent boy because his father is also a municipal policeman," said Mr Ncube. He said he was later manhandled by the council security personnel and thrown into their truck while in handcuffs and then handed over to the police at Gweru Central Police Station.

"I was subjected to all kinds of physical assault, from slaps, kicks and assault with batons. They then went on to dump me at Gweru Central Police Station where I was then freed after I had explained what had transpired," said Mr Ncube.

He said he had since opened an assault docket against the municipal police and the violent boy for allegedly stabbing a Chaplin High School pupil.

"I thought I was doing my duty in protecting our pupils as a parent only to be subjected to physical abuse by the municipal police as well as being embarrassed in the presence of my pupils," said Mr Ncube.

Contacted for comment, Gweru City Council's acting chief security officer, Mr Josphat Munyari confirmed having "arrested" Mr Ncube for "straying" into the Town House.

Mr Munyari, however, denied allegations that some municipal police officers  assaulted Mr Ncube.
He also refuted reports that the boy's father was a municipal police officer.

"I actually attended that scene and I was the first person to get hold of Mr Ncube because they just stormed into Town House chasing the boy and we did not know who they were. We do not work with    that boy's father and he had only strayed into the premises seeking refuge," said Mr Munyari.

"Mr Ncube was very violent and threatened to beat up the boy he was chasing after with open hands within our premises. When we tried to calm him, he became violent and that is when we then decided to handcuff him and handed him over to the police."

Mr Munyari said they could not detain the violent boy as he ran away during the confusion.