Villagers in Nkayi are at loggerheads with Vongai Masunda, the headmistress of Mpumelelo High School, accusing her of contributing to the school’s poor 6% pass rate in last year’s Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) exams.
The school, located in Ward 22, Nkayi South, serves nine villages and five primary schools: Mtshatshane, Katasa, Zenka, Mabayi, and Mdlawuzweni.
The villagers have also criticized Masunda for being disrespectful and arrogant when they raise concerns about the school’s performance.
Tensions have been further fueled by Masunda’s Shona background in a predominantly Ndebele-speaking community, with claims that she uses tribal differences as a defence when confronted.
Doreen Sunduza, the School Development Committee (SDC) chairperson, told the <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/southerneye/local/article/200038750/nkayi-villagers-school-head-clash-over-poor-results">Southern Eye</a> that Masunda often makes important decisions without consulting other stakeholders. She said:
<blockquote>
She [the school head] sidelines and undermines the SDC. She disrespects the local traditional leadership labelling them uneducated.
Whenever parents air their grievances, she lifts the tribal card and plays victim instead of finding ways to improve the school.
The issue went as far as the district office and it was nullified. Then came the 2024 ZIMSEC O’ level examination pass rate hitting its all-time low of 6%, second from bottom in the district.
</blockquote>
Village head Dumisani Sibanda said that Masunda’s behaviour towards the villagers, particularly when they raise concerns about the school’s performance, has been dismissive and uncooperative. He said:
<blockquote>
She disrespects and undermines the local traditional leadership and community at large. She runs the school like a private entity and does not engage parents, this is shown by attendance statistics at school meetings.
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Sibanda further alleged that Masunda told the community she was “untouchable” and threatened to call in anti-riot police if they continued to raise concerns. He said:
<blockquote>
We were disrespected and labelled uneducated. We proceeded to the district office and met the district schools inspector identified as Matshazi.
He accompanied us back to Mpumelelo and we had a meeting together with the school administration.
We had a resolution to change the old SDC committee the following week and also discussed the issue of school fees.
Nothing fruitful came out of the meeting as the headmistress threatened to unleash anti-riot police on the people and openly declared that she was untouchable, gloating that whatever we say will not work.
All we want is for our school to produce good results, we want service delivery, and we don’t know whether we don’t have the right to demand service delivery as parents.
</blockquote>
Nkayi Community Parliament Speaker Moses Ncube urged authorities to address the issue in the best interest of the students.
Masunda declined to comment, directing Southern Eye to the district schools inspector. Nkayi District Schools Inspector Temba Ndhlovu also refused to comment, saying that the issue had not been reported to his office.

Pindula News

In Nkayi, villagers are upset with the headmistress of Mpumelelo High School because only 6% of students passed the exams last year. They say she makes decisions without listening to them and disrespects them. Some say she uses tribal differences as an excuse. The villagers want the school to do better and for the headmistress to respect them. They went to the district office for help, but nothing changed. The headmistress threatened to call the police if they kept complaining. Everyone just wants the school to improve for the students. The headmistress and the district schools inspector did not comment on the situation.

Nkayi Villagers, Headmistress Clash Over 6% Pass Rate

Stella Mhlanga, the headmistress of Khumalo Primary School in Bulawayo, has been suspended following allegations that she insulted the deputy headmaster in front of staff and students.
The incident reportedly occurred in a school corridor, where a misunderstanding between the two escalated into a heated argument.
A teacher who preferred anonymity, speaking to <a href="https://bmetro.co.zw/khumalo-headmistress-suspended-for-insulting-deputy/">B-Metro</a>, described the scene, saying the headmistress publicly reprimanded the deputy headmaster in a manner that left onlookers taken aback. Said the teacher:
<blockquote>
She got into an argument with the deputy headmaster and insulted him in front of the staff and learners. It was a shameful scene.
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The deputy headmaster then lodged a formal complaint with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. 
In response, ministry officials investigated the matter and took disciplinary action against Mhlanga. Said the source:
<blockquote>
The officials suspended her for three months. The suspension was handed down on September 14 and will last until November 14.
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Mhlanga is facing charges of “unbecoming behaviour” related to her conduct at the school.
Taungana Ndoro, spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, confirmed the suspension but declined to discuss the specifics of the incident. He said:
<blockquote>
While I can’t delve into the details, the decision was made to ensure a respectful and positive environment for both staff and pupils.
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This is not the first time Mhlanga has attracted controversy. In 2021, she was charged with violating Section 26 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act (Chapter 10:04) for possessing prohibited articles.
The charge stemmed from an incident in which she was accused of accidentally sharing a revealing image of her private parts on her WhatsApp status.
In April 2022, Bulawayo magistrate Marygold Ndlovu acquitted Mhlanga, ruling that the State had failed to establish the essential elements of the charges against her.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The headmistress of Khumalo Primary School was suspended for insulting the deputy headmaster in front of everyone. The incident happened in the school corridor and the deputy headmaster complained to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The ministry investigated and suspended the headmistress for three months for her behavior. The suspension will last until November. This is not the first time the headmistress has been in trouble, as she previously faced charges related to sharing inappropriate images in 2021. The ministry took action to create a positive and respectful environment for staff and students.

Headmistress Suspended For "Insulting" Deputy Headmaster

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has blamed Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube’s economic policies for the death of a female school head who allegedly committed suicide.
ARTUZ said one Mrs. Muzenda, the Deputy school head at Sarahuru Primary School in Mwenezi took her own life due to “slave wages”. <a href="https://twitter.com/ARTUZ_teachers/status/1671104730083328002">The teachers’ union said</a>:
<blockquote>
[Mthuli Ncube] policies have killed Mrs. Mzenda the D/Head at Sarahuru Primary Mwenezi. She committed suicide. Slave wages are the new guillotine claiming our Teachers.
The government of [President Emmerson Mnangagwa is presiding over the killing of civil servants and untold suffering for those who live on!
</blockquote>
In February 2022, teachers embarked on a week-long strike, demanding the restoration of their pre-October 2018 salaries when they earned US$540.
The Government responded by awarding civil servants a token salary increment and suspended scores of teachers for taking part in the job action.
Currently, teachers, like other civil servants, are earning US$250 in allowances per month while their RTGS salary is less than US$50.
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/06/18/missing-headmaster-found-dead-near-dam/">the Gwindingwi Secondary School headmaster Stanford Tsindikwa was recently found dead</a> near Rusape Dam in a case of suspected suicide.
Tsindikwa was reported missing after he allegedly made several calls and sent text messages to his wife informing her about his intention to take his own life.
Below are some suicide warning signs suicidal thoughts by <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/suicide/symptoms-causes/syc-20378048">Mayo Clinic</a>:
<ul>
<li>Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as “I’m going to kill myself,” “I wish I were dead” or “I wish I hadn’t been born”</li>
<li>Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or stockpiling pills</li>
<li>Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone</li>
<li>Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next</li>
<li>Being preoccupied with death, dying or violence</li>
<li>Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation</li>
<li>Increasing use of alcohol or drugs</li>
<li>Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping patterns</li>
<li>Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly</li>
<li>Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order when there’s no other logical explanation for doing this</li>
<li>Saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seen again</li>
<li>Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or agitated, particularly when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above.</li>
</ul>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Teachers Blame Mthuli Ncube For Deputy Headmistress' Suicide

The Kumalo Primary School headmistress who was facing charges of posting pornographic material on WhatsApp has been acquitted.
Stella Mhlanga was charged for contravening Section 26 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act Chapter 10:04 (Possession of prohibited articles).
Allegations were that she accidentally shared a revealing picture of her private parts on her WhatsApp status.
In her defence outline, Mhlanga through her lawyer Byron Sengweni of Sengweni Legal Practice argued that she was never in possession of the alleged pornographic content.
She said she received the phone from her sister Sibusisiwe Moyo who is based in South Africa.
Mhlanga further stated that before her sister handed over the phone to her, she cleared the phone memory and when she received the phone there was absolutely nothing in it.
In acquitting her, Bulawayo magistrate Marygold Ndlovu ruled that the State failed to establish essential elements of the charges levelled against Mhlanga. The magistrate ruled:
<blockquote>
In the court’s view, the fact that the images were only recovered through forensic software makes the accused person’s defence that everything was cleared at the time she received the cellphone reasonably possibly true.
It is equally possible that these images had been deleted prior and were not visible in the gallery with a naked eye.
Further, the evidence led on behalf of the State did not prove whether these are the same images posted to the accused person’s WhatsApp status.
Had the State led evidence to prove that these were the same images posted on the accused person’s WhatsApp status the court could have been persuaded that the accused had been in possession of the images at that time and had deleted them to conceal evidence.
In case the court finds no reason to dismiss the accused’s defence as not reasonably possibly true.
In the premises, the State has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and the accused person is accordingly found not guilty and acquitted.
</blockquote>
Prosecutors had alleged that on 2 August 2021, the Provincial Victim Friendly Unit received a tip-off to the effect that Mhlanga had posted pornographic material on her WhatsApp status.
On realising her error, Mhlanga allegedly immediately removed the picture but some of her contacts including teachers and parents with children at her school had saved it and forwarded it to their friends.
Mhlanga was eventually arrested following investigations by the police.
Investigators also seized her cell phone Samsung N910F Galaxy Note taken to the police station.
The cellphone was then referred to CID National Cyber Forensics Laboratory, Bulawayo for examination.
During the forensic examinations, four pornographic images were allegedly retrieved from Mhlanga’s phone.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.bmetro.co.zw/kumalo-primary-school-headmistress-acquitted/">B-Metro</a></h4>

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