A former head boy turned taxi driver exposed the shocking actions of six students who booked a lodge in Chitungwiza last week, intending to engage in sexual activities.
The driver, who transported the students to Royal Guest Lodge, recognized some as students from his former school and quickly alerted authorities.
The group consisted of three girls from Excel College and three boys from Pathway College, who decided to skip classes for the rendezvous.
It has since emerged that two of the girls met their partners for the first time on the day of the incident, which is believed to have been orchestrated by other students.
Police have arrested a 19-year-old boy, who is now assisting with the investigation.
The girls, meanwhile, were taken for medical examinations and later released into their parents’ custody.
Christabel Muchemwa, a 36-year-old employee of the lodge, was also arrested for allowing the students to book rooms, despite most of them being underage.
In a statement, the principal of one of the involved schools expressed sympathy for the parents while stressing that the students had not left campus during school hours.
“They (parents) are heart-broken, but it has to be reiterated that it’s neither their fault nor ours that this happened,” the principal said.
“The children did not escape from the college premises and so they were not in our jurisdiction.
“They actually left their homes purporting to be attending school, which in our case begins at 7:30am.”
The principal further revealed that the scheme was led by the 19-year-old from Pathway College, along with two classmates.
“Naturally, this trio becomes the accused because they paid the lodge fees,” the principal added.
The whistleblower, a former head boy at one of the schools, reported the situation to school authorities immediately after dropping the students off at the lodge.
“After he had dropped them at the lodge, he rushed to notify us of the development because as a former student of ours, he is privy to our timetables and disciplinary ethos,” the principal said.
Rather than intervening directly, the school decided to notify police to avoid compromising the safety of the students and the school’s reputation.
“We are happy the police’s response was prompt, and a raid was conducted leading to the arrest of an employee of the lodge,” the principal stated.
Image/ text- Crime Watch Zimbabwe
