By Brighton Chiseva
MASVINGO – Parents whose children go to Mapanzure Government High School are up in arms with the school authorities over the school bus which was involved in an accident while transporting 65 Zanu PF Women’s League members to Victoria Falls for a cooking competition organized by the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa in May 2022.
The parents are saying there won’t be any sporting activities at the school and the school cannot hire any vehicle using their money to pay for transport services until the bus which was estimated to be worth US$150 000 has been returned.
The School Development Committee (SDC) Chairperson Natiel Chimbuya confirmed the matter and said he was failing to control the parents’ anger, calling for the responsible authorities to intervene and make sure the bus is replaced.
“We were at a meeting today (Thursday, May 9) but we have failed to find a solution to the school bus challenge. Parents are angry and they have resolved that they won’t pay sports fees and learners will not go for sports anywhere until the bus is brought back,” said Chimbuya.
Efforts to get a comment from the District School Inspector (DSI) Ishmael Chigaba were futile as he said he was in a workshop and did not respond to a text message sent to him.
The Provincial Education Director Shyllatte Mhike was not available for comment as her cell went unanswered several times.
He said the school head was in trouble with the parents who accused him of allowing Zanu PF to use the bus which they bought using their own money.
“When we do meetings we try by all means to shield the head because parents are angry, they accuse him of allowing Zanu PF to abuse the school bus. At times we do meetings without him because the angry parents would always want to attack him,” said Chimbuya.
Contacted for comment Zanu PF provincial spokesperson Pepukai Chiwewe said as a party they sympathized with the school and the parents, saying he was not sure of the current state of the matter and promised to look into it.
He said however, schools and any vehicle owners should make sure that their vehicles are insured because accidents happen regardless of who hired the bus.
“I am not sure of the position of that matter now but I will make enquiries to establish if it is the party that should repair or replace the bus because they had hired it. However, we do sympathize with the school and the parents and we would want to see the bus back at school for all to benefit.
“I would also want to urge all vehicle owners to make sure that their vehicles are insured because accidents happen regardless of who is using it,” said Chiwewe.
The accident happened at the 35km peg along Masvingo – Mashava Road and the women were later booked at Maponga Lodge, a few hundred metres from where the accident happened.
The cooking competition is one of the many projects that the First Lady has been carrying out in her outreach to disadvantaged communities. School buses are bought by parents through the SDCs at great cost and headmasters or school authorities with political interests seek favours from Zanu PF by hiring out buses to the party for free.
The accident happened after a landmark ruling made by Justice Joseph Mafusire at the High Court in Masvingo barring political parties from using school buses or taking school children to rallies, also barring political parties from using school premises and furniture.
