A breach of professional ethics has rocked Chipindura High School in Mashonaland Central following revelations that two former educators at the institution attempted to pay lobola (bride price) for a female learner after their illicit relationship was exposed.
The schoolgirl involved is the daughter of the school head.
Jonathan Majowe and his workmate whom he refused to name when contacted by NewsDay reportedly descended on the headmaster’s residence in the company of friends, seeking to formalise the union under traditional custom.
The duo’s actions directly violate Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education regulations regarding "improper association."
According to sources close to the development, the illicit affair had been brewing under wraps before a whistleblower exposed the relationship, prompting immediate internal investigations.
In a desperate bid to manage the fallout and legitimise the affair, the ex-teachers and their accomplices hastily arranged a delegation to initiate lobola negotiations with the girl’s father, who also happens to be their former boss.
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Contacted for comment, a defiant Majowe insulted this reporter, boasting that he was "untouchable."
"Get away, tell those who sent you to go hang, havandikwanise (they can't do anything to me). I know those who gave you my number, but they won't succeed," Majowe barked before hanging up the phone.
Chipindura Secondary school head Mandimhanzi told NewsDay that he was not in a position to comment on the issue since it involves the school and he directed the reporter to the ministry.
NewsDay reached out to Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro in request for data on girls who dropped out of school due to early marriages. He provided alarming statistics regarding teenage school dropouts due to early marriages and pregnancies.
Ndoro revealed that in 2024 alone, 3,433 girls were forced out of school due to early marriages and adolescent pregnancies, with 3,324 of them being secondary school learners.
Reacting to the statistics, Shamwari Yemwanasikana director, Ekenia Chifamba, said in a move to fight the rise in early marriages, her organisation had introduced a peer-to-peer mentoring initiative named the "Sister-to-Sister" programme to create supportive networks where girls learn about the dangers of early marriages.