Times Of Swaziland: SODOMY, SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIMS AT MZIMPOFU

SODOMY, SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIMS AT MZIMPOFU
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Sithembile Hlatshwayo on 03/02/2020 08:26:00


MBABANE – Sodomy and sexual violation allegations have rocked an institution
housing children with disabilites, the St Joseph’s Mission.
The institution has recently expelled about 10 children from the boarding
facility. Some of the expelled children have been accused of allegedly engaging
in sexual activities, including acts of sodomy. The St Joseph’s boarding
facility is run by the Roman Catholic Church. The expulsion of the pupils from
the boarding facility is said to be frustrating to most of the pupils, who end
up dropping out of school due to their various disabilities while some manage to
commute to and fro school. It is alleged that the expulsion of the pupils from
the dormitory, emanates from various transgressions they allegedly committed
while at the hostel, which include sexual violations.
Disabilities
The initiation of the school was a vision of the late Father Angelo Ciccone, who
passed away a few years ago. Ciccone loved and protected children with
disabilities and did not want to see them suffer. In an interview with the
Coordinator of the Hostel Office, Thamsanqa Mpanza, he said they were forced to
expel the pupils from the hostel as they were found on the wrong side of the
law. According to Mpanza, most of the physically challenged children were hyper
and allegedly engaged in sexual acts, something which the facility could not
tolerate. “We are also handling cases of sodomy within the institution,” he
alleged.
Meanwhile, he said others carried weapons and cellphones, which was against the
school rules and regulations. Mpanza said they treated all the children at the
hostel equally regardless of their physical challenges. “We do not disorient
the children but treat them like the others who do not have disabilities,”
Mpanza stated. However, he said there were over-aged pupils who attended skills
training at their Ekululameni Centre. These pupils, he said, were very difficult
to handle, yet they also needed to adhere to the hostel facility rules.
Procedure
Mpanza said they followed procedure at the school before taking the decision to
expel the pupils. He said first they warned the pupils and when they repeated
the offences, they engaged the parents and finally expelled them. He said most
parents denied that the children were unruly and protected them which became a
challenge for them. “If a child has broken the rules and failed to stick to
the principles, there are surely consequences,” Mpanza reiterated. Further, he
said the administration no longer administered corporal punishment but used
positive discipline.
When questioned why the number of expelled pupils was high at the boarding
facility, compared to the time of Father Angelo Ciccone, Mpanza said they could
never be the same. He said their office tried very hard not to expel the pupils.
Mpanza noted that the facility also lacked professionals when handling children
with physical challenges. He said most of the staff at the facility were school
leavers but they received training time and again. The expulsion of the pupils
from the hostel has brought about some division within the mission. An insider,
who asked not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter, conceded
that most of the children with disabilities at the institution were being
expelled, something that really bothered them as a church.
The insider said the unfortunate part was that the administrative office took
decisions by themselves without engaging them. “We do not know why and how the
children end up being driven out of the boarding facility.” According to the
insider, the initiator of the programme never wanted children to be expelled
from the school. The insider said during Father Ciccone’s time, the children
were engaged and disciplined but they did not reach a point where they would be
expelled.
Suffering
“He did not want to see a child with a disability suffering and walking alone
on the streets. This is the reason he started the St Joseph’s project because
he wanted children to have a place to stay and easy access to school,” added
the insider. The insider further said he had no idea what exactly led to the
expulsion of the children but confirmed that there were allegations of ill
treatment and sexual abuse.  The insider admitted to have also not been taking
the necessary action on the issues raised by the children which bordered on
abuse. However, he said he once engaged the administrative office and raised the
concerns of the children but nothing was done.