Tears as Hellenic Academy bids farewell to gifted pupil found dead in school pool
TEARS flowed through Hellenic Academy in Harare on Tuesday as pupils, teachers and relatives gathered to say goodbye to Form One learner Daniel Mukudzei Moyana, whose body was found in the school swimming pool after a swimming lesson.
Daniel, 14, was discovered on the evening of Thursday, September 24, after his mother, Takana Mary Moyana, arrived at the school to collect him and could not find him at the usual gate.
The school had been closed on Monday and Tuesday following his death and reopened for normal activities on Wednesday. Cambridge examinations continued as scheduled during the two-day closure.
At the funeral service, the grief was visible in the solemn faces of pupils who had known Daniel as a classmate and friend. Some stood with their hands clasped, while others wiped away tears. Before he was laid to rest at Glen Forest, the pupils paid their final respects, walking slowly and standing in silence as his family mourned.
Daniel’s death has also prompted questions from parents about what happened during and after the swimming session. Police investigations are examining the circumstances surrounding the lesson and the events that followed.
The case was recorded under RRB 7000158 at Borrowdale Police Station.
Daniel’s mother had gone to the school at about 6pm, expecting to find her son at the collection point as usual. When he was not there, she approached the school’s Head of Aquatics, Hadyn Skinner, after learning that Daniel had attended a swimming lesson earlier that day.
Skinner accompanied her to the pool area. The area was locked when they arrived, and Skinner reportedly climbed over a security fence. Daniel’s school bag was found on the terraces. After removing the tents that had been used to cover the pool following the lesson, Skinner found the boy’s body in the water.
About 17 pupils are alleged to have attended the session under the supervision of swimming instructor Shingai Jangara, 44. Jangara said he had accounted for the pupils before and after the lesson. He also said the gates were locked and that Daniel was with the other pupils when they left the pool area.
The account of what happened has led some parents and guardians to accuse the school of poor procedures. One parent said the incident reflected “serious negligence” and unprofessionalism. Another guardian said: “We have been deeply affected by this incident at a school ground.”
Hellenic Academy confirmed Daniel’s death in a statement issued after the tragedy and appealed to the public to avoid speculation while the authorities dealt with the matter.
“Hellenic Academy confirms the passing of Form 1 pupil Daniel Mukudzei Moyona on the evening of September 24, 2026,” the school said. “The circumstances surrounding Daniel’s passing are currently being attended to by relevant authorities.
“Hellenic Academy is cooperating fully with the appropriate processes.
“In line with the request made by the Moyana family in their statement yesterday, we ask that speculation regarding the circumstances of Daniel’s passing be avoided while these processes are underway and that the family’s privacy by respected.
“The Academy is providing appropriate support to the pupils affected by Daniel’s passing.
“Hellenic Academy will be closed on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September.
“Cambridge exams will continue as scheduled during this period with normal school activities resuming on Wednesday, 30 September.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Daniel’s family at this difficult time.”
The school’s closure gave pupils and staff time to grieve, although the return to normal lessons on Wednesday came as the school community continued to deal with the loss. The academy has also been urged by parents to account for the safety procedures in place around the swimming facilities.
Daniel’s father, William, described him as an unusually gifted child whose talents stretched across languages, science and history. In an emotional tribute, he said Daniel had excelled in Spanish, Afrikaans, Greek, French, English and Shona.
“Throughout his school journey, Daniel was an exceptionally gifted student who won countless awards and excelled at everything he did.
“He possessed a sharp, inquisitive mind with a deep love for science, geopolitics, history, and languages.
“His linguistic talents were truly remarkable: he excelled in Spanish, Afrikaans, Greek, French, English and Shona.
“Coupled with his brilliant intellect was a wonderful sense of humour and a quick, subtle wit that brightened up every conversation and brought immense joy to those around him,” said William.
He remembered the morning Daniel was born in Gweru on March 30, 2013, and spoke of the quiet presence the boy brought into the family.
“Daniel came into our lives on the morning of March 30, 2013, in Gweru.
“From the very beginning, he brought a quiet grace into our home.
“Though his early infancy brought a few months of colic and plenty of sleepless nights for us, Daniel showed his strength early, overcoming it and settling into a childhood marked by wonder, gentle curiosity, and joy.”
William said Daniel’s love of books and learning had been clear from his earliest years. His formal education began at Midlands Christian School’s Treasure Trove, where he shared a full-circle moment with his Grade 0 teacher, Mrs Patterson, who had also taught his mother many years earlier.
The family later moved across countries, and Daniel attended Genesis Educare Centre and Maronite Catholic School in Johannesburg, The British School in New Delhi and, most recently, Hellenic Academy in Harare.
His mother described a boy who began swimming at the age of six and continued the activity as he moved through three schools in three countries. That history made the circumstances of his death at a school swimming pool even more painful for relatives and friends gathered at his funeral.
In his tribute, William described Daniel as “a cherished child of God, a tenderly loved son of William and Mary, a faithful brother to Tomutenda”. He also remembered him as a grandson, cousin, nephew and friend to people in Zimbabwe and abroad.
Daniel’s death comes only months after another tragedy involving a school swimming pool in Zimbabwe. On June 11, two Early Childhood Development learners, Devian Andrew Mungazi, five, and Lovemore Tendedziso, six, drowned in a disused pool at Hartzell Central Primary School in Penhalonga.
The two children were retrieved from the pool at about 5pm. The facility had reportedly not been used for around 25 years, although it remained within the school grounds. Police later arrested two school employees on culpable homicide charges as investigations continued.
The Penhalonga deaths brought renewed attention to the dangers posed by unused or poorly secured water facilities at schools. The Hellenic Academy case has now raised similar concerns around supervision, head counts, access control and what happens when a pupil is not accounted for after a lesson.
The World Health Organisation says drowning disproportionately affects children and young people. It identifies fencing swimming pools, controlling access to water hazards and teaching children swimming and water safety skills as important prevention measures. It also stresses that swimming lessons must take place in safe training areas with suitable supervision and student-to-instructor ratios.
At Hellenic Academy, pupils returned to their classrooms on Wednesday, but the school’s corridors remained marked by the absence of a boy remembered for his intelligence, humour and love of learning.
His classmates had gathered to mourn him, yet many were still trying to understand how a routine school day and a swimming lesson could end with a family searching for a child who should have been waiting at the gate.
As Daniel’s family laid him to rest at Glen Forest, the questions surrounding the pool and the final moments of his school day remained with the investigators, the academy and the wider school community.