Southern Africa Unexplained

Case · UFO Afrinews No 5, January 1992

Unexplained Balls of Light: 1990, St Augustine Mission

1990 · St Augustine Mission (St Augustine School), Penhalonga, near Mutare (location not stated in the issue), Zimbabwe

What was reported

Walking towards the dormitories at about 18:30 one evening in 1990, schoolboy Nyasha Dhlinnyo heard a humming above the trees and turned to see a silvery, shining object like a flying saucer moving over them. It lit up and brightened the surroundings, then seemed to hover directly above him, and he fell to the ground. He puts the fall down to fear, though Hind wonders whether some pressure was involved and is interviewing him further. When the object vanished he ran to his friend Grayson Saruwaka, shivering and close to tears. The two boys reported the matter to the Principal, Father Prosser, who was unimpressed and did not take it seriously.

What Hind made of it

Hind declines to speculate on whether the fall was fear or pressure and is interviewing the witness further for more material.

In their words

  • He fell down because he was afraid, but one wonders if perhaps there was some pressure involved.

    Cynthia Hind, spread 6

Connected

  • CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN MUTARECase fileSame behaviour

    Schoolboy Nyasha Dhlinnyo fell to the ground as the object hovered over him (1990); Stuart paralysed under a hovering object (1988). Dhlinnyo attributes his fall to fear; the 'pressure' idea is Hind's. Both involve a hum. Independent witnesses.

  • Fireball and three shining men at La RochelleCase fileSame place

    St Augustine's Mission and La Rochelle both lie in the Penhalonga valley c.4 km apart (by 01-07-1's coordinates), nine years apart. Both witnesses are Shona workers/pupils reporting through white intermediaries (Hind's interpreters; the school Principal, who dismissed it). Both are titled or described as balls of light/fire that lit up the surroundings and left the witness on the ground.

  • Unexplained Light Visible in the VumbaCase fileSame window

    Both 1990, both within 15 km of Mutare, both objects that 'lit up' the ground or surroundings and left the witnesses frightened; Vumba (23 Nov, 22:30, five minutes, aircraft-like lights) and St Augustine's (undated evening, 18:30, hovering disc). Independent channels (Vumba via neighbour Kathy Newman; mission via the boys).

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 5 (January 1992), spread 6

Nearby

Stories within 60 km