Hillside Junior School in Mutare fires two teachers over ‘nasty’ comments

By Elizabeth Kucherera

The proprietor of Hillside Junior School in Dangamvura, Mutare Mrs Maria Nyangani – who doubles as the principal – is in the eye of a storm for allegedly harassing teachers verbally and emotionally, and going as far as summarily dismissing two of them over whatsapp chats.

The two teachers were recently
relieved of their duties in a case which ordinarily does not merit disciplinary measures, let alone dismissal.

One of the dismissed teachers, who requested not to be named, revealed the extent of her humiliation after being publicly verbally undressed by Mrs Nyangani during graduation rehearsals.

“She said I wasn’t flexible enough in dancing and claimed that is why I’m a single mother because ‘most men can’t live with women who can’t dance in bed’. She said this in public. I was devastated,” the teacher recounted.

Another qualified teacher at Hillside Junior School (the mother school of Disney pre-school) shared how she was also dismissed under humiliating circumstances on November 4, 2024.

The teacher, who spoke anonymously, was caught in the crossfire of the graduation rehearsals incident where her colleague was verbally abused by the school principal.

“I tried to console my colleague after the verbal abuse. We later discussed the issue on our WhatsApp platform, giving each other hope,” she said tearfully.

The situation escalated when an audio recording of their conversations was leaked to Mrs Nyangani, who later played it on a loudspeaker to school management. Apparently some allegedly ‘nasty’ words about Mrs Nyangani were uttered in the WhatsApp chats, resulting in the principal being livid and not taking kindly to them.

The two teachers were subsequently summarily dismissed without notice.

The duo then made a police report of abuse of their privacy as protected by the Cyber Protection Act, and a docket was opened RRB 6077942.

When contacted for comment, Mrs. Nyangani denied all allegations.

“I don’t know anything about this,” she said through her spokesperson, directing further inquiries to her legal representatives.

As calls for accountability grow, the incident underscores the urgent need to address workplace harassment and ensure the safety of women in all environments.

The sad incident comes as the nation is fighting Gender Based Violence in all its various forms.