1/12 During my Uni vacation in 1992 I decided to visit my brother who was teaching at a School in Chiwundura that I shall not name. I spent just a week there but this was one very memorable week. I witnessed a lot of drama in just that short week.

2/12 Accommodation. My brother shared a three bed-roomed house with the Senior Master. He was married and stayed with three of his wife's sisters and a brother. My brother used one bedroomed and this large family shared the rest of the house.

3/12 This Senior Master had come from Karoi some 7 years before, married a former student and had never been back to Karoi after that. I was told that the villagers would sent their kids to visit a male teacher to ask for assistance with homework or something.

4/12 They will then send the girl's brothers to tell the girl that, "Baba vati usadzoke". The teacher will then be forced to keep the girl as a wife. The following months all her siblings will follow her and the teacher will then look after the whole lot and pay their fees.

5/12 Now comes the scary part. I was reliably informed that once one married that local girl they cut ties with their own family. Most of those teachers never left the staff residences even during December holidays.

6/12 The Senior Master and Deputy Head always went for fishing after school. They always brought fish and their wives always encouraged them to go fishing. One naughty Teacher let me in on their secrets. It was very shocking.

7/12 Turns out that they were visiting some girlfriends of theirs who were form 2 kids at the school. The fathers of those kids would go fishing while they were chilling with the girls. They would then come back home around 10pm with lots of fish making their wives proud.

8/12 I will be back to the fishing scandal. Let me digress to this very other important day. The O level results were out that week. No student had managed to get 5 O levels. I happened to be in the Staff room when the Headmaster came back with the results. He was still new.

9/12 The Head brings out all the results for the past three years and asks me to find any commonalities. I look through and notice some interesting things. Noone has ever passed Geography at this school for the last three years. At least 50% of students pass Shona every year.

10/12 Most students fail at Maths, English and Science. Some promising performances in other subjects. A staff meeting is hastily arranged. The head asks me to present the findings. I do my best. Everyone seems relaxed except my brother, his Medical School friend and Head.

11/12 After the presentation, my brother's friend decided to stir the pot. He points out that the Geography Teacher had been teaching the subject for the last three years. He then adds, "kids have changed over three years, only one thing is constant, that is the poison."

12/12 It is Friday, the final day of my visit. I wake up to some serious noise. The Senior Master is locked in a room with his form two lover. He has the keys to the whole school and everyone can't get into their classes. The wife is mad. I turned hostage negotiator.