Limpopo school rocked by nepotism claims
· Citizen
The DA in Limpopo is calling for urgent investigations into allegations of mismanagement and nepotism at Matshele Secondary School, amid claims that the school principal, Jane Mathabatha, has appointed her own daughter and a close friend as a teacher and an assistant teacher, respectively, without following proper recruitment processes.
DA Member of the Provincial Legislature Jacques Smalle told The Citizen that his party has written to the basic education MEC, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, asking for her urgent intervention.
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He said he had earlier raised the matter in the Legislature, and claimed the department had promised to investigate it urgently and take action where possible.
He said he was baffled that, weeks later, the department seemed to have relaxed its stance until the DA visited the circuit where the school is based to investigate the allegations.
Department says it is unaware of the allegations
When contacted, spokesperson Mike Maringa told The Citizen that the provincial education department was unaware of the allegations and was not currently investigating the matter.
Fake interviews and jobs for friends and family?
Mathabatha is alleged to have employed her daughter as an education assistant without conducting interviews. She is also alleged to have been receiving full pay despite not reporting for work.
A male teacher, who is a close friend of Mathabatha, was also allegedly hired without a formal interview and panel interview report and signatures forged,” alleged Smalle. The Citizen has seen a copy of the alleged forged signatures.
Attempts to solicit comment from Mathabatha were going unsuccessful, with calls and messages to her unanswered.
The chairperson of the school’s governing body (SGB), Sebongile Mapheto, said the body had only been made aware of the allegations through talk in the “corridors”.
“We were not formally informed about them, as the principal hardly convenes a meeting with the SGB. Worse, we even had to hear it through the grapevine that new teachers had been appointed at the school to teach our children.
Mapheto said the SGB would investigate the allegations and share its findings with the school management team before reverting to the public.
Push for a departmental investigation
Smalle said his party had previously raised this issue with the MEC in the Limpopo Legislature, and that, while there was acknowledgement and awareness of the issue, there appeared to be no evident steps taken to address it.
“Lerule-Ramakhanya must urgently investigate the veracity of these allegations and share its outcome, taking into consideration the seriousness of the allegations and the harm they could have on the credibility of the department’s processes.
“We will continue to monitor developments and push for a comprehensive investigation report into these allegations to safeguard the future of the pupils at Matshele Secondary School and ensure accountability for the school’s management,” he said.