Bush boarding gives birth to sex parties
SEX orgies, code-named “maginderere”, have taken root in Mutasa District and are occurring under the cover of darkness, turning innocent nights into life threatening adventures.
These sex orgies are not limited to a single location, as they have mushroomed across Mutasa District, with Hauna Growth Point, Watsomba and Penhalonga being the hot spots.
During these gatherings, youths between 12 and 17 years who stay in bush boarding facilities engage in experimental and risky behaviours, including alcohol, drugs and substance abuse, as well as unprotected sex.
Tariro Mapako (not real name), a teenager, believes that the parties bring her the freedom to experiment with whatever risky scenario that is brought before her.
As the nights wear on, Tariro usually finds herself in a corner with a guy she often forgets about the following day.
In that moment of madness, they forget about the looming exams, harsh penalties from their families and the consequences of their uncouth behaviour.
However, as the first light of dawn creeps in, reality sinks in as Tariro remembers that her actions has consequences beyond the thrill of the moment.
She and five 15-year-old girls who rent a shared room at Hauna Growth Point during the school term say the maginderere sex party nights sweep them away from their busy school schedules.
The girls and many others have been sucked into the night life of maginderere sex parties, kilometres away from home.
The school-going girls are enrolled at private schools at the growth point and some of them come from as far as Nyamukwarara, which is more than 50km away.
They are in Hauna in search of secondary school education, which is not at their doorsteps back home.
Every night, Tariro and her peers gather with their hearts racing with anticipation for the forbidden fun.
They are their own bosses as their parents are faraway. They are just lone rangers.
In an interview, Tariro said she is in it for the fun as there is no fun at their rented accommodation.
However, out of fear, Tariro insists that while most of her peers indulge in sexacapades at the maginderere parties, she has never participated in them.
She claimed that she is only abusing alcohol and harmful substances.
“Pornography is the major attraction and people practice what they would have watched with anyone nearest to them. We go there for the fun because we do not have televisions or radios at our rented rooms. We party all night long and retire in the morning. There is so much fun at the parties,” said the girl.
However, Tariro’s friend, Nicole Mapara (not real name) said they have slept with strangers and at one point one of the them got pregnant, before opting for a backyard abortion.
Confirming the rampant upsurge of sex parties in the district, Chiedza Community Welfare Trust (CCWT) director, Mrs Gladys Mukaratirwa, whose organisation offers sexual and reproductive health services in Mutasa, said sex parties have to be nipped in the bud.
She said it is crucial to take the sex parties issue head-on as it poses serious risks to the health and well-being of young people.
Mrs Mukaratirwa said education, awareness, and community involvement are crucial in combating this trend.
“The maginderere parties are a serious cause of concern as they are resulting in teen pregnancies and abortions. We have hotspots like Penhalonga, Hauna and Watsomba. They are kept as a closely guarded secret from parents and guardians. We only came to know of them through our sexual and reproductive health rights projects that we conduct in schools.
“It is sad to note that learners in Form One are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancies from these parties. They are risking their lives as they opt for backyard abortions when they fall pregnant,” she said.
Mrs Mukaratirwa said while she could not provide the actual statistics due to jurisdiction issues, they had recorded a large number of children who had contracted STIs and had unsafe abortions over the past year.
“They abuse drugs, watch pornography and practice what they will be watching in front of everybody without any protection. This results in unwanted pregnancies. They end up going for backyard abortions,” she said.
CCWT is a community based organisation that works hand-in-hand with SRHR Africa Trust (SAT) Zimbabwe in offering sexual and reproductive health services.
SAT Zimbabwe country operations manager, Mrs Hamida Ismail-Mauto said they are trying to keep adolescent girls safe in school and prevent them from having unwanted pregnancies.
She said together with CCWT, SAT has expanded from only providing sexual and reproductive health services in Mutasa District to Nyanga and Mutare Districts.
“An adolescent should not fall pregnant, so our role is to sensitise them to understand and take care of their bodies and make the right choices in life. Our partner goes into schools through the school health programme and raise awareness against these sex parties. They also offer the adolescents some sexual and reproductive health services,” she said.
Interviewed community members appreciates the work that the two organisations are doing in providing sexual and reproductive health services in the area.
Mrs Chido Kamusara of Zindi Village said she prays for her daughter’s safety everyday.
“Some of our children end up succumbing to peer pressure and joining these evil parties. Something needs to be done and we thank CCWT for working with our children in raising awareness on the dangers that come with such parties and engaging in sexual activities,” she said.
Mr Isaac Muripo of Nyamukwarara, whose daughter is staying and learning at Hauna Growth Point said they are having sleepless nights as they do not know what their children are up to when they are away from home.
“We do not have a school in our area, but just thinking of what our children are exposed to at these bush boarding facilities brings is quite scary. We have been hearing of these maginderere parties since last year, but there is nothing much we can do to stop our children from attending as they stay alone at the bush boarding facilities. Some of them are co-habiting with boys when they are at school, this is really sad,” said Mr Muripo.