adminFreedom Mupanedemo Midlands Correspondent
THE Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture has reportedly dispatched a team to investigate allegations that Chief Banga of Shurugwi appointed himself debt collector and attached property belonging to parents who owed a local primary school money in fees arreas. In an interview yesterday, Midlands provincial education director Mrs Agnes Gudo said she had sent a team of education officials to find out what was happening.
“It came as a surprise to us that the local traditional leader was going around taking villagers’ property over fees arrears. We have tasked our district education officials in Shurugwi to go on the ground and find out what was going on,” she said.
Last week parents whose children attend Banga Primary School allegedly lost property to Chief Banga after the school approached the traditional leader with a list of names of parents who owed the school money in fees.
The parents alleged that the chief was acting as a debt collector, going around with his aides confiscating DVDs, radios, plastic containers as well as livestock from defaulting parents.
Mrs Gudo said she would be in a position to comment on what was taking place after the investigating team presented its findings to her office.
There was an outcry from the affected parents who accused their local traditional leader of employing “unorthodox” means to recover money from defaulting individuals.
Some of the disgruntled parents who called Chronicle last week said they were stranded after Chief Banga and his aides “attached” their valuables.
The parents claimed that the confiscated property was set to be auctioned within the school yard next week.
Chief Banga last week confirmed that he was “attaching” property from defaulting parents in a bid to save the school from collapse.
“Do you want children to learn for free? How then will the school operate,” said Chief Banga when he was contacted then.
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