MP Sibanda Calls for Community Action Against Drug Abuse and Child Marriages at Siyamagoza School
Thembelihle Mhlanga
LUPANE – Lupane West Member of Parliament Mxolisi Charles Sibanda has called for coordinated efforts by parents, teachers and communities to address drug and substance abuse and child marriages, warning that the challenges threaten the education and future of young people.
Sibanda made the remarks on Friday during Siyamagoza Secondary School’s Speech and Prize Giving Day, where he was Guest of Honour. He also donated US$100 and 100 kilogrammes of rice to support the school’s low-cost boarding facility.
Addressing parents and other community stakeholders, the legislator urged guardians to take an active role in their children’s education and work with teachers to protect learners from substance abuse.
“Parents must take their children’s education very seriously and be constantly on guard because these days drug and substance abuse has taken a shocking toll on our youth,” said Sibanda.
He called for cooperation between families, schools, and the wider community, saying raising responsible young people required shared commitment.
“It takes a collective effort—teachers, parents, and the broader community must complement each other’s roles to successfully raise a child into a productive citizen,” he said.
Sibanda also raised concern over child marriages, particularly cases in which young girls are married off to men with financial resources, including illegal miners commonly known as omakorokoza.
“Another grave challenge we are facing is child marriages, where parents give away young girls to wealthy men, particularly illegal gold miners, commonly known as omakorokoza,” he said.
“This destructive practice completely ruins the child’s life and robs them of a bright future.”
School headmaster Thabson Mubvereni said the institution had recorded an improvement in its Ordinary Level examination pass rate, rising from single digits in previous years to 40 percent in 2025.
He attributed the improvement largely to the introduction of the school’s low-cost boarding facility, which he said provides learners with a more conducive environment for studying.
“We are delighted to celebrate this remarkable milestone where our O-Level pass rate rose from single digits to 40 percent in 2025,” said Mubvereni.
“This significant academic transformation is largely due to our low-cost boarding facility, which has given our students the focus and study time they desperately needed.”
However, Mubvereni expressed concern over parents who fail to meet their school fee obligations, saying the resulting financial constraints affect the school’s ability to sustain its programmes.
“While we celebrate our academic strides, we are hampered by parents who fail or refuse to pay school fees. Operationalizing a school effectively requires resources, and fees are the backbone of running these initiatives successfully,” he said.
On infrastructure development, Mubvereni announced that construction of a new Advanced Level classroom block had been completed, although the building still required minor finishing work.
He said the school hoped to enroll its first Advanced Level learners early next year.
“On the infrastructure front, we have successfully finished building our A-Level block, which now only needs minor final touches,” he said.
“It is my sincere wish and primary objective to welcome our very first intake of A-Level learners early next year.”
The event concluded with the presentation of awards to learners who excelled in academic and extracurricular activities.
