Dispute halts meals
Non-payment sees 1,500 pupils go hungry
Hungry Nkwanca High School pupils in Komani were up in arms on Tuesday after the school failed to provide meals due to non payment of kitchen staff and the service provider under the education department’s school nutrition programme.
The uproar follows an ongoing battle between the school and former governing body chair Axolile Masiza, who has made corruption claims against staff members.
As one of the bank signatories, Masiza reportedly refused to sign documents to process payments, which resulted in the non-payment of the food supplier, cleaners and kitchen staff at the school.
Workers employed by the SGB brought services to a halt on Tuesday morning, refusing to work until payments, which were supposed to be made near the end of April, were done.
They accused the principal of lack of transparency on the issue.
SGB deputy secretary Nomathamsanqa Mbilini Mapeyi, who also served in the previous term, said Masiza did not avail himself in the signatories change of account.
Mapeyi said the department was made aware and attempts to reach the former SGB secretary, who was also listed as one of the signatories, failed.
“We tried to play our part in the situation as the current SGB to try and speed up the process. Attempts have been made to reach out to both parties.”
Livid kitchen staffer and parent Sanda Klaas said: “We have the right to be informed as parents of children at this school, of such things.
“On Monday we went home at 3.30pm waiting for at least one person to address us.
“There was nothing, no food for the children, we did not know what to do. We are not happy with the treatment.
“These children come from disadvantaged backgrounds with not a single plate of food to eat at home. We are their only hope. We all have to suffer because of one selfish person who did not want to do the right thing.”
Grade 11 pupil Ambesiwe Mananga said: “More than 1,500 children are gathered here fighting for food. Were they waiting for us to picket for them to realise that we need food? Some of us here stay with our grandparents, our families cannot make ends meet.
“We have been attending school for months without getting any meal.”
The school’s food supplier, Mnqophiso Ben-Mazwi, said he feld endangered when entering the school premises on Tuesday to demand payment.
“They [the pupils] wanted to physically attack me and damage my car. I had to explain to them that I was not at fault.
“I was supposed to supply food on Monday but the company had exhausted its funds and we were awaiting payment.
“After talks with the principal I had to find a solution and think of these children. We managed to provide a temporary solution on Monday.”
Ben-Mazwi said he had produced his invoice and expected payment on April 28.
When officials from the education department arrived at the school, the pupils were sent home.
Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the district director had visited the school.
“The problem started when a former chairperson of the SGB’s name did not appear in the voter’s roll as he does not have a child in the school. He was one of the signatories.
“He did not cooperate with the school when handing over was supposed to be done.”
Mtima said a change of signatories at the bank was scheduled for April 28 but did not materialised as the former chairperson and the other member did not cooperate. high The school Rep reported funds questioned (“Use of” , April 9) that Masiza claims he was excluded from the voters’ roll to elect a new body for questioning the way in which the school finances were used by staff members.
He said when he was elected chairperson of the SGB, he had requested the school’s financial statements and that was where problems started.
“There are missing cheques and unknown assets in that school because teachers have laptops that are not even registered.
“In 2018, I was appointed as an SGB member and chairperson by parents. I was challenged because during my tenure, people had to account. They questioned my credibility and how I was appointed.”
In an interview with The Rep this week, Masiza said: “We are tired of nursing corruption and fraud as a community.
“The reality is that there is a lot of corruption at the school.
“The whole leadership is corrupt and I have paperwork to prove this. They need to clarify, in the three years that I have served how was I appointed as chairperson if I do not have a child at the school.
“They must explain why they want me to sign if I am not in the register of the school?
“They must not lie to people. The significant drop in the pass rate is because they are not focusing on the curriculum but on making money.”
Masiza said he was taking the matter up legally.
Mtima said: “The school managed to resolve the matter temporarily on Tuesday, in that service providers and other employees were all paid. The school managed to persuade the other signatory to cooperate.
“The district director is going to write a letter to the bank manager, requesting him to remove the former members as signatories . . . It is hoped this will resolve the matter.
Mtima said the circuit manager had invited Masiza to a meeting at 1pm on Thursday to discuss his claims against the school.