The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
LUVEVE High School headmistress Mrs Getrude Ndlovu is in the eye of a storm with parents accusing her of misappropriating funds.
She is accused of allegedly claiming transport allowance despite using a school-fueled car while on school business. In addition, she is also accused of duping parents in a bus procurement deal where she allegedly connived to buy an old bus but told the parents that it was new. This comes at a time when she told parents that pupils were attending classes while high on drugs such as BronCleer while used condoms have become a common feature every morning in the school yard.
These and other allegations of how the head was failing to run the institution emerged at a heated Annual General Meeting of the school on Saturday last week. The meeting, which dragged for more than five hours saw parents venting their anger towards the school administration especially the headmistress, Mrs Ndlovu.
So tense was the meeting that when SDC secretary Mr William Mpopoti and a committee member Mr Vusa Sibanda tried to speak, the headmistress tried to block them.
“Some of the parents here talk too much but they owe the school. They speak ill of the school and even abuse me. Mr Mpopoti has a child here and the current school fees status shows his child is in arrears. His child is benefiting from other children’s school fees which is not fair,” Mrs Ndlovu said.
During the meeting, parents asked Mrs Ndlovu why boarding fees collected were not benefiting the boarders to which she replied that she was diverting the money to pay workers’ salaries.
“We collect over $4 000 from boarding fees and we have channeled this to the salaries of workers because they get very little so I will be trying to cushion my workers. But since people are against it we will stop,” she said.
Parents said the boarding fees should go towards improving conditions for those pupils and should not be used by the staff members as it is illegal. During the same meeting the school head said there was drug abuse at the school.
“Our boys are using drugs, that cough mixture (BronCleer) is making rounds in the school. We see boys looking drunk and you can tell they would have taken those drugs because they will be wasted and out of their minds. We also pick a lot of used condoms in the school,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
In an interview after the meeting, SDC members blasted the head accusing her of abusing school funds.
“The school head inserts figures or instructs the bursar of the SDA to insert figures for withdrawals and transfers without the approval of the executive committee as required by the statutory instrument. These payments have never been approved by the respective people in the committee,” said Mr Mpopoti.
Mr Sibanda added that it was illegal for the school head to do such without approval from the executive committee.
“The school head and her deputy benefit from a transport allowance of $5 each time they go into town to do any business.
They are also given $4 for lunch which is fair but the challenge is that they use the school kombi and still claim transport. This is improper use of funds. Daily claim vouchers which are in the office will prove this. They collect money on a daily basis,” said Mr Mpopoti.
He said the claims have no record of approval from the executive committee.
“When we requested minutes for previous meetings where such things were authorised, the head said the books had disappeared from the strong room in her office. She clearly destroyed evidence that we can use against her,” added Mr Sibanda.
The SDC members also added that the head had not clarified the issue of a bus which the school had agreed to buy.
“Parents raised money and this was supposed to purchase a new bus, a DAF make as they said it was stronger. They found one for $90 000 but the school head went on to purchase one from FAW which was going for $130 000. Parents were forced to accept that cost but the head later changed goal posts and said it had also cost $90 000. We are still not clear on what transpired here,” said Mpopoti.
According to the SDC members payment receipts for the bus lack a lot of details such as VAT, the first payment of over $60 000 has a hand written receipt which the SDA said raise suspicions.
“Anyone can buy that kind of a receipt in a book shop and write the amount. We expected a printed receipt with company details but this one that is there is not authentic. Again this bus is not what the parents wanted,” said Mr Sibanda.
Parents also raised concerns about accommodation which is offered to non-Luveve employees who are staying at some of the school houses.
“There is a lady who is an office orderly at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex, she is not employed at Luveve High but she stays in one of the houses at the school while some workers desperately need accomodation,” said Mr Mpopoti.
Because of the disputes, parents refused to adopt the financial statement that was presented for the second time in two years because of recurring inconsistencies and called for an audit from a reputable company. SDC members have since written their grievances through a letter to the District Schools Inspector, the Civil Service Commission and the provincial education director over the running of the school.
