Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku
FOUNDERS High School deputy headmaster, Nkosana Mlibazi (47), has been convicted in a dodgy bus hire deal that left him embarrassed before colleagues and dragged into the courts.
Mlibazi, who had been facing two charges, breathed a partial sigh of relief when one was withdrawn before plea. But he pleaded guilty to hiring out a school vehicle without the knowledge or consent of its owners.
Appearing before Bulawayo magistrate Richard Ramaboea, Mlibazi was fined US$200, with the warning that failure to pay by 29 August will see him trading the chalkboard for a two-month jail stint. He was represented by lawyer Prince Butshe of Butshe and Associates.
The court heard that on 10 August, Mlibazi arranged for a Roman Catholic Church group to hire the school bus for US$55.
“Instead of declaring the transaction, he allegedly pocketed part of the money. Testimony revealed he later paid US$400 to Flock Ford Motors for spray painting the bus but converted US$150 for his personal use. He also negotiated to have his private car spray painted cheaply under the school’s contract with the same company.
Headmistress Dorothea Moyo told the court that the school had been financially prejudiced. “I pray that he will be warned and cautioned so that he will reform,” she said.
In mitigation, Butshe argued that Mlibazi is a first-time offender, married with four children, some of them minors. He added that his client had been ostracised by colleagues, traumatised by the scandal and did not waste the court’s time.
“He is a professional, respected in society, and not a danger to the community. He deserves a fine, not imprisonment,” Butshe said.
The magistrate agreed, noting Mlibazi’s guilty plea and family responsibilities before handing down the fine.
derick.khumalo