Masasi School Protects Reputation, Not Victim — Headmaster Expels R@p€ Survivor

How does a school expel a r@p€ victim and protect its reputation instead of its students?

That’s the question haunting Masasi High School after Headmaster Mr Kwembeya expelled a developmentally challenged girl following the leak of a gang-r@p€ video — exposing a seven-month cover-up that has shocked the nation.

The assault is believed to have occurred on February 8, when two male students, aged 16 and 17, reportedly gave the girl a laced drink, dragged her into a bush, and r@p€d her while one filmed the attack.

Despite widespread awareness of the incident within the school and surrounding community, no action was taken until the video surfaced on social media last weekend.

The school’s response was to expel all parties — shockingly, including the victim — a move widely condemned as a gross miscarriage of justice.

The victim’s mother revealed the depth of her daughter’s vulnerability and the pain of discovering the assault months after it happened.

“My child has learning difficulties — being a slow learner who cannot read or write, and she lacks awareness of dates and months,” she explained, her voice heavy with grief.

Reflecting on how she first learned of the incident, the mother added,

“I only learnt of the case recently from villagers who told me that my child featured in a pornographic video.”

Trying to make sense of the timeline, she said,

“The headmaster also contacted me, and I assumed it was a recent incident. It was the boys who informed the authorities that the incident occurred in February.”

Her voice cracked as she described the emotional toll on her family.

“I am in immense pain, and the thought of it leaves me shattered. My husband is also severely affected — he broke down over this issue.”

Her words reveal a mother blindsided by betrayal, silenced by a system that chose reputation over justice.

But while the family struggled in silence, the school’s leadership was busy protecting its image — not its students.

Headmaster Mr Kwembeya and local leaders allegedly concealed the crime from police at Marange Station for seven months.

It was only after the video went viral that police intervened, arresting the suspects on Sunday, September 29.

The school’s decision to expel the victim alongside her attackers has drawn fierce criticism from parents and community members.

Community members also expressed outrage over the school’s handling of the case.

Mrs Molline Muchato, a local resident, voiced her anger and disbelief.

“We request that the current headmaster be transferred. The gang-rape incident happened in February and spread throughout the village, but it was dismissed as lies,” she said.

She added, “When we saw the video, we were shocked. The headmaster had kept silent all along. His only action was to expel the learners, yet this was clearly a police matter.”

Faced with growing public outrage and mounting questions, Headmaster Mr Kwembeya declined to comment and referred all inquiries to his superior.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has since dispatched a team to investigate the incident.

The father of one of the accused admitted the school handled the matter internally, without alerting police or offering support to the victim’s family.

This silence robbed the girl of medical care, legal protection, and dignity — compounding her trauma and exposing deep cracks in Zimbabwe’s education system.

-iHarare