School’s furniture to be sold to cover stationery debt

THE furniture of one of the three heavily indebted schools in the Komani district of the education department will be sold following a Komani Magistrate’s Court ruling.

The Rep reported that John Noah High School owed Komani Stationers an amount of R159 653, Mpendulo Public Primary School owed R151 195 and Khanya Senior Secondary School in Whittle- sea owed R62 391 (“Schools rack up R400 000 bad debt,” May 13).

Schools in the Cacadu (Lady Frere) district also in debt to the supplier were Gqebenya JSS for R38 603 and Sosebenza JSS for R37 930. The Rep was at John Noah on May 10 when the sheriff attached furniture.

This week The Rep received notice of a sale in execution on June 14 with the school governing body of John Noah cited as the first defendant and principal Samnkelo Maka as the second.

District director Nkosinathi Godlo at the time blamed mismanagement for the debt, asking how schools had managed to place orders without the funds. He said the money was ring-fenced for stationery but it was sometimes used for other things.

He said Mpendulo acting principal Linda Melamane and Maka inherited old debts as they were not managers at the time the debt was incurred.

Godlo said he had since requested a bailout from the provincial head office.

At the time he said he was expecting a response from the department headquarters within a couple of days. In a telephonic interview this week, Godlo said he had not received any positive feedback from the provincial office.

“I am working around the clock to assist the schools. The indication from the department was it would try to source the money.”