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Danisa Masuku
PARENTS are up in arms against the acting headmaster of Somhlanga Primary School in Lupane who they are accusing for diverting cattle and goats meant for schools fees to his personal use.
A source at the school said up to 545 receipts were allegedly tampered with.
Speaking to B-Metro, parents said they surrendered goats and cattle to Ocean Ndebele who was the acting headmaster. However, Ndebele allegedly did not issue them with receipts.
Some said he issued them with receipts but when auditors came for auditing books of accounts he reportedly acted in a suspicious manner.
“While the auditors were in the office, he excused himself and dashed to the gate and intercepted parents who had brought their receipts for auditing. He took some receipts on the pretext that he was screening them and turned some parents away,” said a parent who only identified herself as Ms Moyo.
Moyo said they were shocked when they were informed by the School Development Committee (SDC) chairperson Loveboy Mnkandla that they were in arrears and needed to pay school fees.
Another parent who spoke on condition of anonymity said he confronted Ndebele seeking to understand how they could be in arrears when they had paid.
“When we questioned him on why we were in arrears when we paid he said there were problems in the books of accounts and he was resolving them,” said a parent who requested anonymity in fear of victimisation.
Another parent said he paid school fees to Ndebele but she was not issued with a receipt.
“He told me that the receipt book was used up and promised to give me the receipt on a later date but he did not give me,” said the parent who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The parent added that she did not feel her child was safe at the school.
“I feel my child is not safe at the school because if I confront him for the second time he might end up ill-treating my child,”she said.
Mnkandla confirmed the incident: “We are worried about this incident because we reported to the police that Ndebele allegedly defrauded parents of their cash and converted cows and goats which were supposed to be sold for fees to his personal use. The matter was referred to the courts but nothing has happened so far.”
Matabeleland North provincial education director Jabulani Mpofu was not immediately available for comment on the matter as he said he was in a meeting.
Online Reporter