‘GDE shields corrupt principal’
NORTHVIEW – The Gauteng Department of Education and the members of school governing body and teacher representatives at Northview High School are at loggerheads over the department's alleged ‘Shielding of principal’s fraudulent activities’.
After numerous failed attempts by the complainants to get the department to investigate the matter, they contacted the paper in desperation.
Among their grievances in the article GDE probes Northview High School for financial irregularities, North Eastern Tribune, week ending 23 September, they demanded a forensic audit for 2012; and they wanted the department to investigate the unusual use of five receipt books in one financial year.
One of the members said they were concerned by the non-submission of audited statements for the financial years 2012 and last year; and by the unscrupulous lease agreements made by the principal with different organisations who hire the school’s facilities, including buildings and sport fields.
Another member said there was an amount of R116 000 which was a State subsidy and was not accounted for last year; and that there was an unknown banking accounts which was created by the principal. The members were also concerned by the department’s alleged failure to attend to their grievances, although letters were sent to the office of the head of department.
Members said they had invited the department to the school to engage with them on what was happening, but department officials didn’t attend to their request.
In her response to the paper, Gauteng Department of Education’s spokesperson, Phumla Sekhonyane said the department was conducting a forensic investigation into various allegations of financial irregularities at the school. Sekhonyane later told the paper that they stopped the investigation because of lack of evidence. “The department could not proceed with preliminary investigations due to lack of evidence,” she said.
This didn’t go down well with the complainants. One member said there were questions to be answered by both the district and the province. The member said there was no acknowledgement of receipts handed to the office of the head of department. One member asked, ‘What type of evidence were they looking for in their preliminary investigations’. The member said in their memo that they invited the department to a meeting to give them further information pertaining to the allegations and the department never went to them. They said the department was shielding the ‘corrupt principal’.
