The department of education is investigating claims that a Ngcobo school principal mismanaged school funds.
Thembeni Senior Primary principal Nomfundo Ntshwabulo has been accused of making a number of payments using the school’s cheque book without the consent or knowledge of the school governing body (SGB), of selling uniforms to pupils and of losing the school’s cheque book and the safe keys.
Provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said they were alerted to the allegations by the school governing body.
Mtima said the matter was reported to the district office, from where it was escalated.
“The district office conducted a preliminary investigation.
“The findings from the preliminary investigation suggested that the situation was too big to be handled at the district level, and so it was escalated to the provincial level.
“An audit on the school’s finances was conducted and that report is currently with the department’s superintendent-general to study and sign before the outcome is made public,” said Mtima.
SGB chairwoman Nokuzola Sigwela said the cheque book counterfoils showed the principal had signed cheques to a “supplier” for an amount between R7000 and R25000 last year.
Sigwela claimed that only R1000 reflected on statements as money made from selling school uniforms.
Ntshwabulo has denied some of the allegations.
“I do not sell the uniforms.
“The school is selling the uniforms and that was a decision made by the previous school principal together with parents,” she said.
Ntshwabulo also denied signing cheques, saying she did not have the “power” to sign cheques and that it was the SGB’s mandate.
However, she admitted to losing last year’s cheque book, saying it vanished when her car was broken into outside school premises.
She said she also lost the safe keys, which were in her handbag when it was stolen last week.
Ntshwabulo also confirmed she was unable to provide the education department’s risk management officials with last year’s SGB minute book as it had “vanished from the safe” – a safe which only she and the deputy principal have keys to.
Sigwela said in 2016 they discovered a number of payments were made to a “service provider” who supplied uniforms that the principal had allegedly sold to pupils.
“We know nothing about an agreement to sell uniforms to pupils and have never even met these suppliers.
“No SGB member signed those cheques. She signed them without our knowledge,” she said.
Sigwela said after they reported their fears to the district, the school had received a letter of demand from an attorney firm demanding that R92000 be paid to their client for the supply of uniforms.
“We were shocked because the chequebook counterfoil shows that cheques were made out for the payments of uniforms.
“So now we are left with the question of what really happened to those cheques and only she would know,” said Sigwela.
Ntshwabulo said there were two services providers and the cheques were paid to one and they still owed the other. — arethal@dispatch.co.za
Principal investigated over use of school funds
Thembeni Senior Primary principal Nomfundo Ntshwabulo has been accused of making a number of payments using the school’s cheque book without the consent or knowledge of the school governing body (SGB), of selling uniforms to pupils and of losing the school’s cheque book and the safe keys.
Provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said they were alerted to the allegations by the school governing body.
Mtima said the matter was reported to the district office, from where it was escalated.
“The district office conducted a preliminary investigation.
“The findings from the preliminary investigation suggested that the situation was too big to be handled at the district level, and so it was escalated to the provincial level.
“An audit on the school’s finances was conducted and that report is currently with the department’s superintendent-general to study and sign before the outcome is made public,” said Mtima.
SGB chairwoman Nokuzola Sigwela said the cheque book counterfoils showed the principal had signed cheques to a “supplier” for an amount between R7000 and R25000 last year.
Sigwela claimed that only R1000 reflected on statements as money made from selling school uniforms.
Ntshwabulo has denied some of the allegations.
“I do not sell the uniforms.
“The school is selling the uniforms and that was a decision made by the previous school principal together with parents,” she said.
Ntshwabulo also denied signing cheques, saying she did not have the “power” to sign cheques and that it was the SGB’s mandate.
However, she admitted to losing last year’s cheque book, saying it vanished when her car was broken into outside school premises.
She said she also lost the safe keys, which were in her handbag when it was stolen last week.
Ntshwabulo also confirmed she was unable to provide the education department’s risk management officials with last year’s SGB minute book as it had “vanished from the safe” – a safe which only she and the deputy principal have keys to.
Sigwela said in 2016 they discovered a number of payments were made to a “service provider” who supplied uniforms that the principal had allegedly sold to pupils.
“We know nothing about an agreement to sell uniforms to pupils and have never even met these suppliers.
“No SGB member signed those cheques. She signed them without our knowledge,” she said.
Sigwela said after they reported their fears to the district, the school had received a letter of demand from an attorney firm demanding that R92000 be paid to their client for the supply of uniforms.
“We were shocked because the chequebook counterfoil shows that cheques were made out for the payments of uniforms.
“So now we are left with the question of what really happened to those cheques and only she would know,” said Sigwela.
Ntshwabulo said there were two services providers and the cheques were paid to one and they still owed the other. — arethal@dispatch.co.za
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