Boy (14) assaulted by uncle, misses exam

News
AN orphaned 14-year-old boy from Tsholotsho missed the Ndebele Paper 2 Grade 7 examination last Thursday after he was severely assaulted by his uncle a few hours before the test.

AN orphaned 14-year-old boy from Tsholotsho missed the Ndebele Paper 2 Grade 7 examination last Thursday after he was severely assaulted by his uncle a few hours before the test.

SAKHILE MOYO OWN CORRESPONDENT

Mpanedziwa villagers, including area headman Peter Sibanda, confirmed that the boy was assaulted by his uncle (name supplied) as punishment for not finishing household chores he had been assigned to do.

The uncle reportedly used a jack bar (a digging tool) to hit the boy several times and as a result he sustained serious injuries all over the body and dislocated an arm.

Southern Eye heard that the guardians were not keen to make a police report as the uncle is the breadwinner.

They said there had been previous attempts to plead with the pupil’s uncle to stop abusing the boy as he had done before, but it turned out to be a fruitless effort.

“We heard during the day (Thursday) that his aunt was reluctant to make a report to the neighbourhood watch committee and the police,” the headman said.

“However, we told her that she was committing an offence and she later agreed to make a report.”

The boy was on Friday taken by a non-governmental organisation, Bulawayo Agenda, with her aunt to Tsholotsho Police Station, to make a report.

According to the boy’s aunt (name supplied), the child had been beaten on several occasions.

“He usually beats him and I never thought that he would severely injure him,” she said. “But on Thursday morning he was badly injured and he could not walk, so he missed his Ndebele examination.”

Matabeleland North police yesterday said they were not aware of the matter.