“Mysterious ‘Ailment’ Afflicts School Children in Tsholotsho, Causes Inability to Walk”
Residents of Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North province are grappling with a perplexing situation as a dozen school children from Magama Mission Primary School have been rendered unable to walk after being allegedly attacked by mysterious creatures. The unusual incidents, which began in March and continue to baffle locals, have left the affected children, aged between five and 15 years, in a state of convulsion and weakness.
Vincent Hadebe, the village head of Ntulani, revealed that some parents attempted to seek medical help at hospitals like Mpilo in Bulawayo, but conventional medical diagnoses failed to provide a solution for the inexplicable ailments. The attacks predominantly occur while the children are commuting to and from school, leading villagers to suspect the presence of goblins along the route.
Hadebe expressed concern over the impact of these incidents on the children’s education, as some were too frightened to attend school while others struggled to write their end-of-term examinations. Despite attempts to address the issue, including seeking assistance from traditional healers, the attacks have persisted.
Several traditional healers claim to have extracted peculiar creatures, such as snakes, monitor lizards, human waste, a baboon, and three monkeys, from various households in the area. While eight victims are now in the process of recovery and have resumed attending school, four children still bear the effects of the unexplained ailment.
Taungana Ndoro, the communication and advocacy director of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, stated that they had not yet received official reports regarding the incident. However, he emphasized the ministry’s willingness to engage with traditional leaders and school authorities in a multi-sectoral approach to address such matters, as they lack the expertise to directly handle such unusual cases.
