A Grade 7 pupil from Robert Tredgold Primary School in Bulawayo has been expelled following a disciplinary committee’s ruling that found him guilty of multiple serious offences, including verbal abuse of teachers, physical assault of fellow students, and use of vulgar and offensive language.
According to a disciplinary report dated 17 April 2025 and obtained by Pindula News, the 13-year-old boy, identified as Junior Bandile Ndlovu, was involved in at least four separate incidents between February and March 2025. The final decision to exclude him from the school was made in a bid to “allow sanity to prevail” at the institution.
On 27 March 2025, Ndlovu reportedly insulted his class teacher, calling her “a dog” and “a lesbian.” The day before, on 26 March, he targeted a fellow Grade 7 pupil with an offensive outburst, allegedly saying their parents were prostitutes and that “they drink tea inside a condom.”
The report also documents a violent assault on 19 February, in which the pupil punched another student, Perfect Manavere, in the eye and mouth, leaving the victim with visible swelling. A separate incident on 27 February saw Ndlovu respond aggressively to a senior teacher who was reprimanding him for the earlier beating. He reportedly said he wanted to “deal with people who have big testicles” and threatened to “mark an X on the teacher’s buttocks.”
The pupil had not passed any public exams at the time and was described as having “average” academic potential. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has since circulated the decision across all provincial education directors, indicating that the action was taken to protect the learning environment at the school.
