A HEADMASTER of a school in Rufunsa was last week at the receiving end of a painful battering after he was found performing suspicious rituals on a grave of a recently deceased pupil.
It took brave police officers to face the violent crowd and save David Mapulande
of Chimusanya Secondary School from permanent entry into the land of the dead.
According to witnesses, Mapulande was on August 11 found chanting incantations on the grave of Grade 12 pupil from who had died a few days prior.
The drama started around 05:00 hours when a group of women woke up early to pick fired to start the day for their families and stumbled upon Mapulande, who was reportedly found chanting near the grave of the teenager, David Tembo.
The village’s sleepy atmosphere quickly gave way to a tension-filled confrontation as inquisitive eyes fell upon the headmaster, questioning the peculiar assortment of items he had with him, items that bore an uncanny resemblance to charms.
With shock and suspicion mingling with the solemnity of the burial site, amidst the early morning hush, the five women, who were merely collecting firewood within the vicinity, found themselves at the heart of this eerie encounter.
Memory Chanda, one of the women present, recounted the events with a mixture of astonishment and concern.
She described how Mapulande, a man she knew well, seemed to be gripped by fear, struggling to provide a coherent explanation for his presence at the grave of his former student.
In an unexpected twist, Mapulande’s defense added a layer of suspicion to the already bewildering situation as he reportedly claimed that he was awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend, who had been delayed in meeting him.
As an unusual place to wait, the grave of the departed teenager hardly seemed appropriate, raising even more eyebrows among the witnesses.
As the tension escalated, so did the volume of their voices. The women’s cries for help rang through the air, drawing more and more people to the scene.
Their refusal to accept Mapulande’s offer of K100 each in exchange for their silence underscored the seriousness of the situation.
The commotion grew, and it wasn’t long before angry and suspicious crowd decided what the headmaster needed was a thorough beating and not an interrogation.
As the villagers descended on the wailing headmaster, his cries of pain somehow reached the police authorities who rushed to his rescue.
However, even their intervention could not prevent the headmaster from bearing the brunt of the villagers.
Rae Hamoonga, the spokesperson for the Zambia Police, confirmed the incident.
Recognizing the danger posed by an increasingly agitated public, the police intervened to protect Mapulande and he was taken into custody to safeguard his life.
CAPTION: File photo for illustration
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba August 21, 2023
