F4 Hamilton learner stabs Founders peer

Police have confirmed the death of a Form 4 pupil at Founders High School in Bulawayo who died after he was stabbed in the neck by a Hamilton High School pupil.

“He was pronounced dead upon admission at United Bulawayo Hospitals. The deceased and the attacker are both 16-years-old and are pupils from Hamilton High School and Founders High School,” said Bulawayo deputy police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele.

She said the incident occurred after school at a roadside near Founders High School where the learners were waiting for transport.

The deceased Wayne Ndlovu, 16, reportedly confronted his attacker over the beating of Wayne’s friend.

This led to a fight, with learners from the two schools pitted against each other.

Ass Insp Msebele said that Wayne was stabbed in the neck.

Rivalry between schools is as old as the institution of formal education. But the levels in Zimbabwe seem to be moving towards gang wars, rather than healthy competitiveness among peers.

A video recently released on social media showed a Cranborne Boys High learner inflicting violence on two much smaller Churchill Boys School learners.

A number of social media users dismissed it as ordinary rite of passage kind of bullying for boys. But many others were horrified and called for authorities to stamp out the terrifying trend.

The subject of bullying and violence has come up as cause of concern over the years. Especially in boys’ schools and among male learners.

Psychologists and other experts routinely link bullying and the resulting peer pressure to challenges that young people are facing including depression, mental breakdowns, suicide, substance abuse, poor grades and unplanned pregnancies.