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Mangwe probes troubled school

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MANGWE Rural District Council says it will this week carry out an urgent audit at Makuzeze Primary School after parents accused authorities of misappropriation of funds.

MANGWE Rural District Council says it will this week carry out an urgent audit at Makuzeze Primary School after parents accused authorities of misappropriation of funds.

Report by Pamela Mhlanga

Parents last week stormed the school accusing the acting headmistress Victoria Pasipanodya of mismanaging the council-run school and transferring three teachers without following procedure.

In an interview yesterday, the council’s chief executive officer Nketha Mangoye Dlamini said the audit followed parents’ concerns that school funds and property were abused.

“We are currently preparing a plan for the audit. We may never know — this audit might also unearth more things that would have been hidden and we are sure to investigate on that,” he said.

Dlamini said the audit would probe issues relating to property, school funds and school operations.  Last Tuesday, parents, council representatives and officials from a Bulawayo pressure group Mthwakazi Youth Leaders’ Joint Resolution met the district education officer for Mangwe, Headman Mpofu, to resolve the matter.

Sources said Mpofu insisted during the meeting that the transfer of the three teachers be upheld despite protests from parents.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Mpofu refused to shed light on the matter referring questions to the Matabeleland South provincial deputy education director John Jamela who is based in Gwanda. However, Jamela was said to be out office yesterday.

Mthwakazi Youth Leaders’ Joint Resolution spokesperson Mqondisi Moyo said his organisation was contemplating taking the matter to court if authorities did not rescind their decision to transfer the three teachers.

“We are totally against the district education officer (DEO)’s endorsement of the decision to redeploy the three teachers to other stations,” Moyo said.

“As Mthwakazi, we will not change our resolution and it still stands. No teacher out of the three should leave the school.”

“We want the DEO to go and defend his decision in court.”

“We will take the matter to court and if it means that someone be sued let it be, because already the teachers’ CVs have been tainted.”