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From George Maponga in Masvingo
A teacher at Chivata Secondary School and a Form One pupil were killed after they were struck by a mysterious bolt of lightning in a tragedy that shocked villagers in Ndanga communal lands last week.

The bolt struck and killed Ms Theresa Mufuka and Charles Sarai when the teacher was handing the pupil a school fees receipt at the end of the day’s classes.

Another female teacher who was close by was hospitalised for some days at Ndanga District Hospital after she was narrowly missed by the bolt.

What reportedly stunned fellow teachers and schoolchildren who witnessed the incident was that the skies were clear save for only a small dark cloud that hovered above.

Ms Mufuka was killed while standing beside her husband who also teaches at the school.

The bolt burnt part of her clothes.

Masvingo provincial education director Mr Zedious Chitiga yesterday confirmed the death of the pair.

Mr Chitiga said the two have since been buried.

“The unfortunate incident happened towards the end of classes at Chivata School as the deceased female teacher was handing over a school fees receipt to the late pupil,’’ he said.

“We suspect that current of the bolt might have started from one of them and affected the two after coming into contact during the handover of the receipt. The female teacher was standing next to her husband when she was struck,’’ added Mr Chitiga.

Fellow teachers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) on Mufuka and Sarai but to no avail.

“The late teacher together with the pupil have since been buried in Zaka where both came from and we dispatched a team to Chivata School to carry out investigations following the incident,’’ said Mr Chitiga.