Frantic parents besieged Masasi High School in Marange on Tuesday accusing school authorities of practicing Satanism and harming their children.
Parents say students have been left crippled, with tattoos and hallucinations after strange incidents at the boarding school. They are calling for the transfer of two teachers they accuse of being behind the occurrences.
Vanessa Mangatu, 18, dropped out of school in March last year after becoming crippled. Her mother Munorwireyi Mangatu says Vanessa has tattoos of snakes and razor blades that appear and disappear.
Before falling ill, Vanessa claimed she was seeing two teachers dressed in black gowns who coerced her to go with them. Vanessa’s condition has caused other students to fear attending the school.
Munorwireyi says traditional healers told her the teachers were responsible, but the specialist doctors found nothing medically wrong with Vanessa.
Vanessa’s grandmother says when Vanessa could still speak, she told of seeing the two teachers climbing down a tree at night. The next day, Vanessa fell and became crippled.
Another parent, Manyasha, said her child also saw the two teachers in black robes and refused to return to school out of fear.
Parents want the two accused teachers transferred or the school closed. One said “Our children have scars and tattoos that mysteriously appear.This is pure Satanism.”
Provincial Education Director Edward Shumba said this could be a case of “hysteria” requiring a community approach. But traditional healer George Kandiero believes it is a “clear case of something spiritual.” He recommended exorcism for affected learners.
Local doctor Tendai Zuze said Vanessa’s symptoms could have many medical causes, depending on how long she had hallucinations and other symptoms.
Most doctors no longer use the diagnosis of “hysteria.” It has been split into categories like epilepsy, personality disorders or dissociative disorders.
