Hundreds of enraged parents have surrounded Masasi High School in Marange, demanding the blood of school officials they suspect of indoctrinating their children in Satanism.
Vanessa Mangatu, an 18-year-old former student,’s terrible case has sparked dread and fury in the community.
Vanessa dropped out of school last year after being paralyzed, purportedly as a result of her engagement with dark forces.
Vanessa’s mother, Ms Munorwireyi Mangatu, shared the distressing details with the Manica Post saying:
“Vanessa has tattoos that appear and disappear all over her body and these are tattoos of snakes, razor blades, and Chinese symbols.”
Ms Mangatu further claimed that Vanessa reported seeing two teachers dressed in black gowns who coerced her into going with them against her will.
Because of Vanessa’s condition, several pupils have refused to attend school, fearful for their own spiritual and physical well-being. Concerned parent Ms Manyasha remarked,
“My child was in the same class with Vanessa and she also saw the two teachers in black robes. Since Vanessa’s predicament, my daughter has refused to go back to the school.”
Parents are now requesting that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education remove the two accused teachers, whom they blame for the bizarre incidents. Mrs Edith Basopo, a parent, remarked unequivocally:
We are now afraid of keeping our children at this school. The teachers should be transferred or the school should be closed. We will not tolerate this.”
Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Edward Shumba, acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating,
“This is a school that is affected and the school is in the community. There should be a community approach for this problem to be solved because if it is not solved that way, the problem will persist.”
Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers’ Association President, Mr George Kandiero, weighed in on the matter, suggesting a spiritual explanation for the incidents:
“This is a clear case of something spiritual. In the Christian realm, they call it Satanism, but from a traditional perspective, these are spiritual attacks.” He believes the affected students are vulnerable and targeted for monetary or sexual gains by cults.
Mr Kandiero stressed the need for urgent intervention and exorcism, stating,
“There is need for exorcism among the affected learners. An expert in these matters can be engaged in order to interpret what is happening with the students.”
While spiritual explanations dominate the discourse, local medical practitioner Dr Tendai Zuze highlighted the importance of medical evaluation:
“Vanessa’s diagnosis points to visual hallucinations which can have many possible medical causes — from psychosis, migraines, or seizures.” Dr Zuze emphasized the necessity of further medical assessment to fully understand Vanessa’s condition.
The incident at Masasi High School has unleashed a wave of shock and concern throughout the community, leaving parents desperate for answers and demanding immediate action to safeguard their children from the alleged dangers that haunt the school’s premises.
