A Satanism scare has rocked Bulawayo’s Entumbane High School after an incident on Tuesday in which a form three pupil collapsed after she was found with a book believed to be linked to a Satanist sect.
Report By Pamela Mhlanga Own Correspondent
Sources told NewsDay that the 15 year old girl who stays with her grandmother in Entumbane-was reportedly caught with a “mysterious book” in class which was suspected to be a Satanism booklet.
“When the book was discovered, the girl immediately fainted prompting seven other pupils who were holding her and trying to revive her to also faint one after the other,” said the source.
Following the incident, the school hurriedly convened a meeting with parents and the councillor for the area Prince Dube yesterday morning to discuss the incident.
Speaking during the meeting one of the parents said the issue ought to be taken seriously.
“We have been hearing about such things from other places such as Cowdray Park(in Bulawayo) and we never took them seriously but now it has come to us and we have to act fast,” he said.
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Another resident said it was possible the girl who fainted first was possessed by some spirit and this had affected people around her.
“The girl’s grandmother should be called to explain the strange things affecting her child,” said the woman during yesterday’s meeting.
Some parents said the incident could be connected to the use of the school for church services by different denominations during weekends.
“Thirteen churches use classrooms over the weekends and exorcise people of demons here,” said another parent who only identified himself as Hadebe.
He said the spirits exorcised by these churches might be the ones now affecting children “as they would have remained in the classrooms”.
Cllr Dube said they were yet to look at reports from the clinic where the girl was taken for treatment and the police to whom the matter was reported.
“So far we have agreed to hold another meeting with residents and spiritualists to discuss a way forward,” he said. “This is a learning institution so we would not want to create further alarm and panic that will affect our children who will end up scared of attending classes.”
Contacted for comment Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo yesterday confirmed receiving a report on the incident.
“We have received the report but we have not labelled it as a criminal case,” he said. “We are checking how the situation progresses as it is a social problem which has affected the community that we are policing.”
During yesterday’s school meeting some parents suggested that a cleansing ceremony be done at the school by prophets, even if it means paying them to remove evil spirits.
A relative of the girl said the 15 year old girl recently came from South Africa with a “suspicious tattoo” on her shoulder .which she declined to explain its origins.
