POLOKO TAU
A second Meadowlands school has been rocked by allegations of funds mismanagement and other irregularities after a treasurer from a school nearby was arrested for making unauthorised withdrawals from school coffers.
Residents have now stepped in and asked Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy to intervene, and have threatened to “close down” Totomeng Primary School in Zone 8 if she fails to do so.
The latest controversy in the township follows the arrest last week of 40-year-old Dora Mokhithi – a member of the school governing body (SGB) at WK Maponyane Primary – on charges of fraud.
Mokhithi had allegedly withdrawn R226 500 from the school’s bank account, which had been linked to her personal account. She has been granted R10 000 bail and was expected back at the Protea Magistrate’s Court this month.
Departmental officials representing Creecy listened quietly and took notes as Totomeng Primary SGB chairman Frans Graham revealed shocking allegations at a meeting yesterday.
Graham said he had refused to sign blank cheques that were brought to him without the necessary requisition forms. He added it had been discovered that R14 000 of the school’s money had been deposited into the school’s bank account almost two weeks after schools had closed last December.
He said he had received death threats after questioning the alleged mismanagement of funds and the irregularities, and had opened a case with the police.
“I was questioning all these things and now my life is in danger. Some people were given my phone numbers and told me to get out of the SGB or I will be killed,” Graham said.
“I signed other cheques because I found myself under a lot of pressure. I also signed out cheques for petty cash, but it was never explained what the money was used for.”
Among other allegations, Graham said children could not eat at the school – which is supported by the government’s feeding scheme – because there was no gas for the stove, even though he had recently signed a cheque for gas.
He accused school principal TM Serobatse of making decisions without consulting the SGB.
Officials from the district have also been accused of disregarding the SGB.
“A teacher was interviewed and appointed without consultation with the SGB. Policy dictates that nothing can be done without consultation with the SGB,” Graham said.
The Meadowlands Concerned Residents Group has accused education department officials of “working against the SGB” while disregarding important issues like poor teaching and learning, as well as poor infrastructure and untidiness at the school.
“This is supposedly a Pedi school, but there is no teacher for that language. Children did not get their school reports last week, and there has been no explanation for this,” said group spokesman Patrick Mohlophegi.
“This school has become dysfunctional, nepotism by department officials is rife and we need urgent intervention from the MEC. We want an external audit to be done, and if the community have to pay for that, we’ll do it.”
Mohlophegi gave Creecy seven days to respond to the concerns raised at yesterday’s meeting.
The officials had been told that the principal and some officials from the district office must be deployed elsewhere.
“We don’t want this principal, who was also appointed without consultation with the SGB. He is not even known to the community as he was never formally introduced,” Mohlophegi said.
“So much has happened, including funds raised and not banked, but shared among school staff. Money is spent to clean the school, but there’s nothing to show for it. This school looks like a pigsty,” he added.
A resident and former pupil at Totomeng, Dipuo Thobane, said the school had gone from bad to worse.
“It was bad during apartheid times, but it is worse now in the new government. Toilets are untidy and dark, and the feeding scheme kitchen and the library are a mess,” she said.
“I was also very shocked at what the SGB chairperson has revealed. We need accountability, and that’s what the SGB is there for so that they can be the community and parents’ eyes.”
Gauteng education spokesman Charles Phahlane said: “The issues that were raised in the meeting were complaints that were received previously by the MEC’s office. Two weeks ago, the head of department approved the appointment of forensic auditors to investigate both the WK Maponyane and the Totomeng Primary issues.”