Masase High School once gave hope to many families in Mberengwa. Parents thought their kids would learn from teachers who cared about them. Behind the scenes, something terrible happened that hurt many young lives.
Everyone used to like Anywhere Gumbo, the deputy headmaster. He smiled a lot and seemed ready to help anyone who needed it. Many parents believed he wanted the best for their children.
The truth turned out to be very different. Reports say Gumbo misused his power and tricked more than 35 boys into coming to his office. He said he wanted to help with schoolwork. The boys felt scared to say no to someone with authority.
Everything changed when someone wrote a secret letter to the Education Ministry. A teacher who noticed strange things wrote about the awful abuse. When people came to check out these claims, they found Gumbo had already run away.
Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko from the Midlands police said they still cannot find Gumbo. People close to the situation claim Gumbo would ask students to visit his office where he then abused them.
A person with inside knowledge said Police and education officials started looking into this after they read an anonymous letter from a teacher about what happened. The school has rules that require students to talk directly to the head about problems, which kept many victims silent.
Several parents and teachers say the school head, Albion Masukume, tried to hide the scandal. Masukume sent a letter to families admitting an investigation exists but denied any personal involvement in covering it up.
He wrote that he felt sad to share news about child abuse claims against a staff member. He mentioned that both the education ministry and police are carefully investigating everything. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Zimbabwe runs Masase High School.
Everyone used to like Anywhere Gumbo, the deputy headmaster. He smiled a lot and seemed ready to help anyone who needed it. Many parents believed he wanted the best for their children.
The truth turned out to be very different. Reports say Gumbo misused his power and tricked more than 35 boys into coming to his office. He said he wanted to help with schoolwork. The boys felt scared to say no to someone with authority.
Everything changed when someone wrote a secret letter to the Education Ministry. A teacher who noticed strange things wrote about the awful abuse. When people came to check out these claims, they found Gumbo had already run away.
Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko from the Midlands police said they still cannot find Gumbo. People close to the situation claim Gumbo would ask students to visit his office where he then abused them.
A person with inside knowledge said Police and education officials started looking into this after they read an anonymous letter from a teacher about what happened. The school has rules that require students to talk directly to the head about problems, which kept many victims silent.
Several parents and teachers say the school head, Albion Masukume, tried to hide the scandal. Masukume sent a letter to families admitting an investigation exists but denied any personal involvement in covering it up.
He wrote that he felt sad to share news about child abuse claims against a staff member. He mentioned that both the education ministry and police are carefully investigating everything. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Zimbabwe runs Masase High School.
