MANYANGE village in Murehwa has been plunged into mourning following the death of 21-year-old Jaidzo Mahuni — a young life cut short before it could fulfil its potential.
Her death has sparked painful conversations about deep-rooted corruption and systemic failures within Zimbabwe’s education system, which critics say increasingly rewards the wealthy while sidelining the poor.
Mahuni’s story mirrors that of many girls in rural Zimbabwe who are pushed into early marriage or teenage pregnancies as a result of poverty and limited educational opportunities.
According to her stepsister, Sandra Chikava, Mahuni’s death is a tragedy that resonates with countless rural girls across the country.
“We found her hanging from a tree. She committed suicide because she had been impregnated for the second time and the man refused to take responsibility,” Chikava said.
“This shattered the dreams of a young woman who had the potential to become a teacher, nurse or civil servant.”
Mahuni had recently sat for her Ordinary Level examinations at Magaya Secondary School in Murehwa, and obtained three Cs. Family members say she was among bright students and could have performed better had teachers consistently conducted lessons.
Luckmore Chingara, chairperson of the School Development Committee (SDC), said teacher absenteeism had become a major problem at the school, leaving students unsupervised and vulnerable to drug abuse and risky behaviour.
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“I knew Mahuni. She was a very dedicated girl who travelled more than 10 kilometres everyday to school,” he said.
“We buried her because the system did not allow her to reach her potential. If teachers were doing their job and teaching properly, I believe she would not have fallen pregnant and might still be alive today.”
For Mahuni’s family, the loss is particularly painful because education was seen as a pathway out of poverty.
“In rural Zimbabwe there are very few opportunities. Becoming a nurse would have been a big achievement,” Chikava said.
“If she had received proper teaching, if teachers truly cared about their students, she could have achieved more than three Cs and pursued her dream. Now we can only wish.”
Parents and community members accuse teachers at Magaya Secondary School and the nearby Zhombwe Primary School of prioritising extra lessons over normal teaching hours.
Lessons are often conducted after school or during weekends for about US$1 per pupil. Students, who cannot afford the fee, are effectively excluded from the additional teaching.
For families already struggling with poverty, the arrangement creates a system where only children from better-off households benefit.
Letwin Nyika, a 73-year-old grandmother caring for several grandchildren, said the practice had deepened inequality in the classroom.
“The situation at Zhombwe Primary is slightly better because the headmaster is strict and teachers attend classes from Monday to Friday,” she said.
“But during weekends they only teach those who pay a dollar per child. Many of us cannot afford that money. The teachers do not repeat the lessons during normal classes.”
As a result, pupils who miss the extra lessons struggle to keep up with coursework.
Many students walk long distances to school — often more than nine kilometres each trip.
For girls in particular, the daily routine is exhausting.
Tariro Manhanga says she wakes up at 4am every morning to prepare bathing water and porridge for her younger siblings before beginning the long journey to school.
“By the time I arrive at school I am already tired and sleepy,” she said.
After walking nearly 11 kilometres from Manyange village to Magaya Secondary School, she often finds that only one lesson takes place despite a timetable that lists five subjects per day.
Students then begin another long walk back home.
Community members say many teachers fail to conduct lessons because they engage in side businesses to supplement their low salaries.
Others reportedly focus on teaching only selected classes that they believe are more promising.
Chamunorwa Manhanga, a parent in the area, said he was worried about his daughter’s future but understood the economic pressures teachers face.
“This is a nationwide problem,” he said.
“Teachers are forced to run flea markets and tuckshops to survive because their salaries are too low. The teachers at Magaya are facing the same challenges.”
The SDC chairperson says questioning teacher absenteeism creates tension with school authorities.
“I once tried to raise concern about teachers not attending classes, but I was told to stay in my lane,” Chingara said.
“They said my role as SDC chairperson is to focus on development, not to supervise teachers.”
“But how do we ask parents to pay school fees when their children are not learning? Teachers are often seen at Murehwa centre during school hours.”
Magaya Secondary School headmaster Tendayi Zindonda blamed parents for failing to pay fees and releasing children for school late.
He said shortages of basic learning materials also affected teaching.
“We do not even have simple things like chalk, bond paper or textbooks,” Zindonda said.
“As you can see, it is almost 10am and some students are still arriving. Lessons begin at 8am, so they have already lost two hours.”
However, the SDC chairperson disputes that explanation, claiming the school has resources but prioritises sporting activities over academic lessons.
“We have money at the school, but it is being channelled towards sports instead of learning,” Chingara said.
“Parents are paying fees.”
During a visit to the school, three-quarters of classrooms were without teachers on a Monday morning.
Students who spoke anonymously said some teachers only came to school on Tuesdays and leave on Thursdays to travel to their urban homes.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe says the root of the crisis lies with the government.
Union president Obert Masaraure said poor wages and working conditions pushed teachers into survival mode.
“The corruption that is pushing children into early graves, drug addiction and early marriages is a product of the same system that should be providing solutions,” he said.
In 2023, the government enlisted the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the charging of fees for extra lessons.
That same year, two teachers in Gokwe were dismissed after converting a classroom to a tuckshop.
The government has acknowledged the crisis of poor academic performance in rural schools.
Primary and Secondary Education minister Torerai Moyo recently criticised schools in Gokwe North that recorded zero percent pass rates in the 2025 Ordinary Level examinations.
“I am disappointed that 10 schools had zero percent pass rates,” he said.
“Imagine a school with 40 candidates where none produces five O-level passes. Poor results reflect leadership weaknesses rather than lack of potential among learners.”
Moyo warned that headmasters of underperforming schools face dismissal.
Research published in the Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research in 2025 found that poverty continues to push many girls in rural Zimbabwe out of school and into early marriages.
Others migrate to cities to work as domestic workers in affluent suburbs.
For families in Manyange village, Mahuni’s death is a painful reminder of what happens when education systems fail the most vulnerable.
A promising life has ended, leaving behind unanswered questions about accountability, opportunity and the future of rural education in Zimbabwe.
*The article was done with the support of Transparency International, Zimbabwe.
