A 17-year-old girl smashed a beer bottle across the face of a local chief, Senator Siansali, in Binga, Zimbabwe, after he reprimanded her for wearing a skimpy dresse.
The chief of Siabuwa, 52, said he sustained a cut under his right eye from the assault.
He was stitched at Siabuwa Clinic before being referred to Binga District Hospital for further treatment.
The teenager, Tlou Dube, recently relocated to Zewula village, under chief Siabuwa, from Bulawayo, and was walking with a friend only identified as Mbimbi when she committed the cultural taboo.
The incident occurred last Wednesday at Siabuwa Business Centre and was reported to the Police.
Chief Siabuwa said he was at the business centre when he saw the two teenagers who were dressed in “very short dresses” and approached them to counsel them on proper dressing to preserve their values and morals.
“As I spoke to them, Dube walked away, telling her friend to walk on and not to listen to nonsense.
“I told her to go if she felt I spoke nonsense and leave the other girl to listen to what I had to say. I re-introduced myself and even produced my identification card, thinking maybe she was not aware of who I was.
“She continued to yell at Mbimbi and returned to where we stood, picked up an empty bottle of beer from the ground and hit me right in the face.
“Well, I hope the teenagers will get real counselling to restore their values and morals, which they seem not to have at all,” he said.
Chief Siabuwa said he had found the teenagers’ behaviour grossly disrespectful and irritating and had tried to talk sense to them.
“The teenagers were walking in a public place, indecently dressed and so I tried to warn them for their own protection because that could result in them being abused by men. In our society and culture, females don’t dress in the manner they did,” said the area chief.
Chief Senator Siansali said Tlou recently relocated from Bulawayo to live with her grandmother in Zewula village.
He said the girl was probably not aware of the difference in culture and morals between Bulawayo and Binga.
“She also may not be aware of the importance of the chief’s status as a community leader. Their dressing didn’t suit our Binga community and the chief tried to warn them to protect them as that is one of a traditional leader’s roles in the community.
“The teenagers’ behaviour was unfortunate. It’s unheard of in our culture.
“It may have been a result of influence from morally decadent cultures from other countries. As a nation, we need to reform ourselves to avoid becoming what we are not,” said Chief Siansali.
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