SODOMY, SEXUAL ABUSE CLAIMS AT MZIMPOFU

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.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: