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Tafara Chibanda
A RECENTLY-ACQUIRED bus has put school authorities at Wadzanai Primary School in Shamva into a confrontation with some parents who claim they were duped to contribute to the purchase an old vehicle whose price does not tally with their investment.
The furious parents, who contributed a bus levy, are accusing the authorities of purchasing a faulty bus after the vehicle malfunctioned just a week after it was bought.
The bus, which was bought last week, is emitting smoke and its engine has been overheating.
Some of the parents now believe that the authorities settled for a cheaper and older bus after having given them the impression that they were buying a relatively new and functioning bus.
“We’re being taken for a ride, no one knows how much was paid for the bus or what the total outstanding bus levy is,” said one of the parents, who requested anonymity.
Another parent said:
“They are trying to cover up the mess after we demanded transparency.”
Another disgruntled parent said the School Development Committee must account for the bus levy they were made to pay for a number of years.
“The meeting needs to be held with the agenda of answering all the burning questions such as the bus levy collection, tender and procurement procedures which were followed before purchasing the bus.
“The school needs to answer the comparative schedules of the three suppliers based on their quotations, order and payment terms and then this confusion, accusations and boiling emotions would be answered,” he said.
Contacted for comment, the school secretary referred all questions to the headmaster, who could not be contacted yesterday.
There has been concern, at a number of schools in the country, over the lack of transparency, especially in the acquisition of things like buses and other expensive assets.
Bongani Ndlovu
Mathew Masinge