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Mbongeni Msimanga Chronicle Correspondent
TSHOLOTSHO South legislator Cde Zenzo Sibanda has denounced child marriages that he said are rampant in his constituency.

In a speech at a prize giving ceremony at Tsholotsho High school last week, Cde Sibanda urged parents to join the fight against the vile practice.

In a majority of reported cases, families negotiate marriage for their children as young as 12, with their much older abusers, in exchange for money or livestock.

Cde Sibanda said the country cannot realise its immense potential for development as long as the primitive practice of marrying off young girls existed.

“To all our parents and guardians, let’s guard against child marriages that are happening in our constituency and protect our children from this,” he said.

Zimbabwe was this year ranked among Africa’s leading countries in child marriages, after an African Union (AU) official announced a campaign against child marriages as stipulated by the Declaration on the Rights and Welfare of the African Child known as the African Charter on the rights of children.

Traditional leaders in Matabeleland North recently called for flogging of child abusers.

Cde Sibanda said it was worrying that there were many cases that had been reported that indicated a sharp rise in child marriages in his constituency.

“I’ve received reports that have indicated that we have a sharp rise in these child marriages. It’s my hope that we help each other so that we can end all this and bring equality especially for the girl child,” he said.

Cde Sibanda said he was pleased with the steady progress that has been made by Tsholotsho High School in improving results, as evidenced by the 53 percent pass rate in Ordinary Level examinations, and the 80 percent pass rate in Advanced level examinations last year.

He said so far the school was the best in the district and more could be done so as to improve the results if students continued to work to work hard. “I’m proud to be associated with high achieving institutions like Tsholotsho High and their exploits in national choir competitions and drama competitions. Above all, the outstanding improvement in academic results for the first time the school produced good results for both A-level and O-level.

“I believe that their results are the best so far in the district as shown by the increase in the Ordinary level pass rate that was at 45 percent, but is now at 53 percent. The A-Level results are at 80 percent and I urge students to work hard so that we improve the results,” he said.