The Sunday News
Fairness Moyana in Cross Dete
THE goblin scare at Ndangababi Primary School in Dete has taken a new twist with traditional leaders dismissing the incidents, alleging that the teachers made up the story to force education authorities to transfer them from the area.
According to media reports last month, teachers were living in fear following a series of mysterious attacks by goblins.
The traditional leaders, who comprised mostly village heads, made the pronouncement during a meeting they had called at the school with the district education officer, parents and teachers to express their discontent at the behaviour of the teachers, whom they said had refused to meet Chief Nelukoba when he called for a meeting last week.
The traditional leaders demanded the removal of all senior teachers at the school, arguing that their actions had shown disrespect for the chief. It was revealed in the meeting that when the teachers did not pitch up for the meeting called by Chief Nelukoba, he threatened to have them transferred from his area.
“What you (teachers) did was disrespectful to the chief in whose area you are working. Instead of the head or deputy doing something about it they decide to snub the chief’s efforts to resolve the matter. As traditional leaders we don’t tolerate such behaviour,” fumed one village head.
The village heads said there was serious infighting at the school as there were five “headmasters” at the school with some refusing to be led by a woman and hence some of the teachers had resorted to “cooking stories up to force transfers”.
“The issue of goblins is a trick by teachers to outwit each other in the running of the affairs of the school as we have discovered that there are five headmasters at this school. What is clear here is there are some teachers who want the post of headmaster to an extent of cooking stories up to force transfers,’’ said another village head who was identified as Ngwenya.
The teachers narrated how for the past two weeks they would wake up to find mealie-meal, flour and beans strewn all over the floor with money disappearing at times.
“At one point we heard children crying outside and we phoned each other not to go outside for we didn’t know what it was especially when movements would also be heard on the rooftops of the cottages,” said one teacher.
When our news crew arrived at the school, pupils could be seen playing outside with some saying they had not been learning since last week.
The district education officer, Mr Lovemore Ncube, had to give in to the village heads’ demands after he was pressured to deal with the issue of the teachers who failed to meet the chief.
“As a ministry we apologise for what happened between the chief and the teachers. We have heard that you no longer want the senior teachers and to avoid friction between them and the community we will then have to transfer them,” said Mr Ncube.
After the meeting the traditional leaders toured the most affected cottage which did not have electricity where the goblins had during the previous night allegedly caused havoc. They concluded that cats had found their way in and not goblins as claimed by the teachers.
Teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were disheartened that Mr Ncube failed to protect them from the traditional leaders.
