By Staff Reporter
HEROIC Tinotenda Pudu, the brave eight-year-old boy who strayed into wildlife-infested Matusadonha Game Park and spent five days wandering, is suffering trauma and needs specialist therapy.
Tinotenda, who wandered 49km in the game park, survived on eating wild berries known in vernacular as ‘tsvanzva.’
According to Mashonaland West Proportional Representation MP Mutsa Murombedzi, posting on social media,Tinotenda and his mother will be temporarily moved away from their home, and be assessed by a mental health support team.
“Today, 08 Jan 2025, the Mashonaland West Provincial Medical Director called me with an update and had a discussion regarding Tinotenda’s situation.
“The mental health team has visited the boy down in the Zambezi Valley and begun their assessments. It has become clear that his disappearance and harrowing ordeal and encounter with big game animals in Matusadonha Game Park, deep in the Zambezi Valley, has deeply affected not only him but also his family.
“As part of their recommendations, the team has decided to temporarily move Tinotenda and his mother away from their home for a few days to provide them with a safer and calmer environment to prevent people from disturbing the recovery process,” said the legislator.
The assessment team, she noted, will remain in the community for several days and also engage with school officials to prevent any discussions that could re-trigger trauma.
“Additionally, the mental health team will return and be stationed in the community for not less than seven days to continue providing support and monitoring the boy’s and family progress.
“With schools reopening soon, they will also engage the school authorities to ensure that when Tinotenda comes back to school, no interviews or discussions take place that might retraumatize him,” said Murombedzi.
The mental health team still strongly advise against anyone conducting interviews at this stage as it may trigger emotional distress for the learner who is now proceeding to Grade Three.
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