adminChipinge Correspondent
The long-drawn-out saga pitting Reverend Watson Bundwa, the beleaguered Mount Selinda High School head, and the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ) leadership reached its denouement on Monday this week when the former was told over the phone that his contract as a head of the leading high school in Chipinge district had been terminated forthwith.
This follows the November 15, 2014 Synod resolution to relieve Rev Bundwa of his duties after the church tried in vain to rein in the head as he increasingly stepped on the toes of the church by not following laid-down procedures in administering the school.
Against such a background, the church viewed that as an act of insubordination. Resultantly, the president of UCCZ sought to bring sanity to the institution by giving Rev Bundwa the boot.
On November 15, 2014, his fate was sealed when the Synod ruled that he should cease being the head of Mount Selinda High School and since then it had been a cat and mouse business between the two antagonists.
Sources said: “The former head had been elusive while the church leadership hunted him in order to formalise his sacking from the institution that was in the top 100 best performing schools in Zimbabwe last year based on the ‘O’ level results of 2013.
“Bundwa continued to use the school vehicle, the Toyota Hilux twin cab, much to the annoyance of the powers that be. Some of the leaders contemplated clamping the vehicle as a way of recovering it thereby ending the cat and mouse game.”
Observers say there should be a way of resolving conflicts between heads and responsible authorities.
Apparently, NASH is a disinterested observer yet one of its members is in hot soup.
“NASH must have a conflict resolution department within its ranks for heads who fall into a similar quagmire to be rescued. Even when there are genuine reasons for Bundwa to be hounded out of Mount Selinda, people should sit down and talk over issues,” one head told The Manica Post.
Be that as it may, Rev Bundwa and his administration have left a trail of success that puts Mount Selinda High School in a commanding position in matters of academic, buying of school assets and infrastructural developments.
According to sources, the UCCZ Education Council has put T. Chitombo as acting head and Z. Mlambo as acting deputy head.
The two are seasoned administrators who are expected to keep up the momentum as the school emerges out of the power struggle and hope to remain the high school of choice in Chipinge. Mr Chitombo has been at the school since 1990; at one time acted as a head with Mr Mlambo as part of his administration.
Online Reporter