Mt Selinda head booted out

Luthando Mapepa
THE United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ), which runs Mount Selinda Mission High School here in Chipinge has fired the school head, Mr Bundwa, over allegations of administrative incompetence.

Interestingly, Mr Bundwa is also the UCCZ church pastor.

Among a plethora of other allegations, he has been accused of insubordination, as well as abusing church funds and running the church accounts without the knowledge of responsible authorities.

The church’s highest decision body called Synod, met last month in November where a vote-of-no-confidence was passed against the headmaster to relieve him off his duties as the head of one of the oldest mission schools in Chipinge.

UCCZ church president Reverend Ngadziore on Wednesday confirmed the dismissal of the Mr Bundwa citing various reasons.

Bundwa was however stubborn and resisted the verdict.

Reverend Ngadziore said the church’s highest decision body dismissed Mr Bundwa for a number of reasons such as insubordination, failure to remit administrative levy to the church, non-attendance of church events, purchasing of high value assets without the knowledge of the church.

“UCCZ church has dismissed Mr Bundwa from his duties as Mount Selinda high School with effect from last month.

“The highest decision body met and agreed that Mr Bundwa cease running business at school.

“I don’t know why he is resisting the church decision because he knows pretty well that the people who voted him to power are also the ones who dismissed him.

“The head is refusing to remit 10 percent of school revenue to the church. We have also dismissed him for failing to show respect to the president (UCCZ) and Synod,” he said.

Reverend Ngadziore also said the headmaster purchased high value assets without consulting anyone.

“Imagine! How could he purchase a 75 seater bus, T35, Nissan hard-body pick-up truck and employing a bursar without the knowledge of the church.

“We are waiting for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education audit report to make a final push because UCCZ no longer recognises him as the school head. Right now all church pastors are in Nyanga except him,” he said.

In an interview, a senior church member who requested anonymity told The Manica Post that the church was not being fair to the Head considering the good work he had done for the school.

He said Mr Bundwa could have been fired on political grounds.

“He belongs to a faction that has been biting the dust off late. That is why he was booted.

“It seems the church was not taking into account that there are three stakeholders, that is, the government, church and parents represented by the SDC which rules the church,” he said.

Some church members argued that Mr Bundwa could not run the school because he hailed from Mugowa, the Save Valley side of Chipinge, ”he said.

Reverend Ngadziore dismissed factionalism as a reason for the dismissal of the headmaster.