Standard
Sunday, 24 October 2010
By Caiphas Chimhete
A Harare headmaster is suing four teachers for US$150 000 after they allegedly wrote to the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture accusing him of looting school funds. Vainona High School headmaster David Makanza, through his lawyers Muvirimi
and Associates, said the allegations by the teachers were highly defamatory and will jeopardise his chances of being promoted.
Makanza is suing Chekayi Madiridze who has since been transferred to Mt Pleasant High School, Caroline Todhlana, Rachel Matikinyidze and Tendai Rwafa. “We are instructed to demand, as we hereby do, payment of $150 000 being damages to our client’s reputation, from yourself and jointly with your accomplices, within 14 days from the date of this letter, through our offices and failure of which legal action will be instituted without any further recourse to you and the costs will be for your account,” the lawyers
said in a letter dated October 5.
The lawyers said the letter that the teachers submitted to the ministry was intended to lower the esteem of Makanza in the eyes of his employer. In the letter, the disgruntled teachers complained about the alleged misuse of funds and property by Makanza.
They alleged that they were not getting incentives while the revenue the school gets from renting out the school premises could not be accounted for. They also claimed that the school bus was regularly hired out for some church functions but the revenue was not benefiting the school.
“All the money is unaccounted for (and) the SDA is made to believe that the school does not generate extra money except from levy fees,” says the letter written to the Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister, David Coltart.
It was also copied to the Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The teachers called for an urgent investigation into the matter. Last week, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) again wrote to Coltart expressing concern about what is happening at Vainona High School saying it could compromise the quality of education at the school.
Raymond Majongwe, the PTUZ secretary-general said instead of convening a grievance meeting with the affected teachers as per regulations, the headmaster chose to “victimise five of the 29 teachers who appended their signatures to the grievance letter.”
The letter was also copied to Public Service minister, Elphas Mukonoweshuro, CID Fraud Squad and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
In an interview with The Standard last week Madiridze denied ever writing the letter that exposed the goings-on at Vainona High School. He said he only read and signed just like the other teachers.