…another alleged case as student said to have died after forced abortion?
…college Principal ‘corrupt, cruel and practices nepotism’?
By Harry Taruva and Delicious Mathuthu
Gweru Polytechnic College accused breast fondling lecturer who allegedly terrorised female students sexually, has resigned after the first round of investigations.
The accused lecturer, Mr Edwin Chidume, is said resigned after former and current students took turns giving accounts of their abuse ordeals to a panel of inquiry that has been instituted to look into the case.
Mr Chidume is accused of sexually assaulting female students at the college and verbally abusing them if they resisted, forcing some to leave the institution.
In the latest development, a reliable source from Gweru Polytechnic College, who prayed for anonymity due to communication protocols, said Chidume tendered his resignation after the first round of the hearing upon realising that the cat was out of the bag.
“He resigned after the first hearing, he knew that he was not going to survive.
“Heard that former and current students who attended the investigation hearing said a lot about what was happening.
“(They said) that he forced some of them to have sex with them.
“The panel wrote a report on their findings, so it was sent to the Head Office but they had indicated that they wanted to carry out a second round of investigations before concluding their findings,” the source said.
Back at work, life became difficult for Chidume after his exposure, as tables turned; a case of abuser becoming the abused.
“The situation at work was no longer bearable.
“No one wanted to associate with him, almost everyone called him a sex predator, rapist etc.
“Even students were calling him names and would make sure that he overheard them whenever he was passing by,” the source said.
Another source from the institution said at first they thought the sexual abuse allegations were just to tarnish his image as he was a popular figure and a clergyman.
“The issue circulated like wildfire. Every Tom and Jerry wanted to know what had happened because Chidume was well known.
“People thought that he was being scandalized at first.
“Even at church because he was a Deacon. They humiliated him shame. It was bad but I heard he wasn’t the only one at Gweru Poly.
“Everyone really commended you for exposing him and protecting the female students,” the source said.
The source also claimed the college Principal was shocked by Chidume’s conduct.
“He is still shocked and is always talking about it, saying that it’s (a) shame that some people abuse their positions and do not respect female students.”
Contacted for comment, the Gweru Polytechnic College Principal Mr Washington Chandiwana sounded not happy with Chidume’s resignation and the situation, refusing to comment over the issue.
First asked on Chidume’s resignation, Chandiwana said: “Who said that? Those people (who told you that) are the ones with information, don’t worry they will give you all of it.”
On the current stage of investigations into the abuse, the Principal brushed off one of these reporters, saying he was not his supervisor and should talk to the accused or the college’s Head Office.
“You have Chidume’s number right? They (those who told you that) should give you Chidume’s number.
“So I am the one who wants to talk about his issues?
“These are Chidume’s issues, talk to him and finish your business there.
“Are you our supervisor? Talk to Chidume, the issue that you want is it about Chidume or its about us? Phone our head office, thank you,” Chandiwana said before hanging up.
A source who emailed this publication after publishing the first issue of the sexual abuse at Gweru Poly said even if the college Principal denied it, Chidume is a his close friend, and did him favours to the extent of promoting him to I.T. Manager ahead of other more qualified and deserving lecturers.
The source alleged the Principal is corrupt, cruel and has a bad workmanship with some staff members.
“The Principal of Gweru Polytechnic himself is very corrupt and cruel he has poor employee relations.
“He has his class, the boot lickers and his sympathisers.
“The accused lecturer is his best friend no matter how much he can deny that.
“He would do him some favours even if he didn’t deserve payments like T and S (Transport and Subsistence) and other benefits.
“Even if he deserved a misconduct charge he wouldn’t prefer it to him as he did with other workers who are not his favourites.
“Even his appointment as the I.T. Manager, (it) was not on merit as they were other lectures in his department who were more qualified than him.
“The principal is in the habit of verbally abusing employees who fell out of his favour, practicing
nepotism,” the source. said.
The source further confirmed another related sexual abuse case at the institution, where it is alleged that someone still at the institution impregnated a student and forced her to abort.
The student unfortunately died from complications after the termination.
“Yaah, heard the issue… coz we only heard people from commerce talking after the student had passed on.
“Seems those who knew what really transpired were not forthcoming,” said the source.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Midlands said they conducted a training on sexual abuse at the college and on what to do when abused.
“We, as Women’s Coalition, last year went to Poly and conducted awareness sessions with girls from the tertiary institution, female students on sexual harassment.
“Thank you very much for writing that story and bringing out those issues, we are just guessing that maybe one of the people we trained became (one of the) whistle blowers into the issue.
“But we are so happy to see that issues of sexual harassment are coming out into the open.
“We also had made some recommendations that students should know the college policy on sexual harassment, if the policy is not there then let there be a code of conduct that explicitly speaks to the repercussions of any conduct of such nature,”
Unconfirmed information says that Musasa Project has also taken interest into the issue and have contacted some of the students who attended the hearing by the panel of inquiry into the Chidume case.
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