Pupil dies after classmate stabs her with pen in the eye - Shepherd Digest Magazine

A Primary Three pupil from Manyewu Primary School in Entumbane suburb of Bulawayo died due to a brain tumor she developed after she was accidentally stabbed with a pen in the eye by another pupil while playing at the school grounds.

Zinhle Zulu, 9, was buried last Friday, three weeks after she was stabbed by a Primary Five boy, who is yet to be identified.

Zinhle’s grandmother, Ms Margret Moyo, on Sunday said her granddaughter was admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital for four days and died while admitted there.

She said doctors said Zinhle suffered a brain tumor as a result of the stabbing.

She noted that her granddaughter had been complaining of headaches since she was stabbed.

Zinhle came home from school saying she had been stabbed by a certain boy by mistake.

“I noticed that her eye was swollen, but I thought the swelling would not last for long. So, I nursed her at home, thinking it was not very serious as there was no sign of a blood clot.

“Little did I know that the stabbing had caused internal harm and would lead to my granddaughter’s painful death,” she lamented.

“Her situation worsened on March 7. She could not even speak; so I took her to the hospital.

“Doctors conducted a scan and told us she had developed growth in the head due to an infection that was caused by the stabbing. She passed on last week Monday and losing her was painful because she had always been fit and had no other illness prior to the stabbing.”

She said the boy who stabbed Zinhle has not yet been identified, as other pupils seem to be scared to name him.

Moyo said they had made a report to the police.

“We asked Zinhle’s friends and they told us that it was a Grade Five pupil who had stabbed her, but they could not tell us the child’s name.

“Maybe they will be able to identify the boy now that the matter will be handled by police.

“We are not seeking to punish the boy or his family, but we want him to be identified so that we prevent him from doing a similar thing to other pupils and for other pupils to take this as a lesson,” Moyo said.