Masta 900 in school tank: Parents, teachers want answers
NHLANGANO – Parents and teachers of Mpatheni High need answers from the school and government over Masta 900 that was found in the school water tank.
A teacher found a plastic bag containing the Masta 900 inside the school water tank. The teacher was checking the water level, intending to refill the tank, only to find that there was a black plastic bag floating inside.
Teacher
It was said that the teacher took out the plastic bag, only to find that there was another transparent plastic bag inside and both had been opened with a sharp object for the substance inside to slowly dissolve into the water. The water was drained from the tank and the plastic bag was taken by the police for investigation.
What is frustrating the parents and teachers is the silence from the school management, Shiselweni Regional Education Office (REO) and the police.
The parents shared that they were never told about the incident, save from reading about it in the newspaper. They shared that they were concerned about their children’s safety at the school, adding that, whoever put the suspected Masta 900 would most likely do it again.
“They were supposed to call us for a meeting and tell us about the incident and what they are currently doing to ensure that the tanks were kept safe,” narrated one of the parents. They shared that they would have preferred it if they had been told that there was additional security to ensure that the tanks were guarded.
They shared that they would have also recommended that the tanks be locked and checked daily. The parents shared that their children’s lives were in danger and as such, they were releasing them in fear every day, when they went to school.
The teachers also shared that they feared for their lives. It was said by both teachers and parents that the school, the Ministry of Education and Training, as well as the police were quiet as though nothing had happened. They shared that they needed to be filled in on what was happening.
It is worth noting that the school is about five years old. During its construction phase, there were disputes over the land allocated to it as some community members claimed it was theirs. The land was said to have been allocated by the late chief of the area. During construction, it was said that some of the structures would be vandalised, delaying progress, but after police intervention, the construction of the school was completed.
Comment
When reached for comment, Shiselweni REO Siboniso Gumbi said they were following up on the matter with the police. He said the last call was made on Sunday, wherein the police said investigations were still ongoing.
When told about the parents and teachers’ concerns, Gumbi said they were working on meeting with them so they could be brought up to speed on where investigations were.
Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni said police were still investigating the matter. She mentioned that they were updating the relevant stakeholders and that the parents were supposed to be told by them.