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BUSTED HEAD TEACHER’S CONFESSION

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BHALEKANE – Philip Lushaba, head teacher of Bhalekane Nazarene Primary School, has been suspended from work after he confessed to the Ministry of Education and Training, that he illegally used over E70 000 of school funds.


These were part of the funds paid to the school by both government and parents for the over 700 pupils’ education. Primary school head teachers are paid about E14 500 per month – on government salary scale D5.
The Times SUNDAY has documents confirming that towards the end of last year, Lushaba wrote a letter in which he confessed to have misappropriated funds from the school’s account.


He addressed the letter to Fanyana Mabundza, Nazarene Schools Manager (Grantee) where he explained how he misused the funds for his personal gain and asked for forgiveness for his transgression.
He confessed to have used an amount of E58 149.50, from school funds to pay his private medical bills. He misappropriated the above funds from the school account within a period of three months, July to October 2014.


He also claimed to have also misappropriated a sum of E13 900 from the school account, as presented in the schools bank statement of March 2015. On November 26, 2015 Macanjana Motsa, the Ministry of Education and Training Undersecretary (Schools Manager), responded to Lushaba’s letter.


“According to the Schools Acco- unting Regulations of 1992, school funds should be used for schools related expenditure and no funds should be advanced to head teachers at any given period. It is, therefore, not proper to ask for forgiveness in this matter, as these are public funds that have to be spent transparently for school related matters,” reads Motsa’s letter in part.


Lushaba has subsequently been suspended and the ministry appointed its official investigator, Knowledge Ngwenya, to investigate the issue further. “It is against this backdrop that the ministry is compelled to institute a comprehensive audit of the school, with the view of finding out how funds are utilised at the school,” continues Motsa’s letter.


Mabundza, Nazarene Schools Ma- nager, also wrote a letter on January 20, 2016 where he also rejected Lushaba’s apology and said his explanation for misusing the school funds was unsatisfactory.
“Due to your unsatisfactory response, I am left with no choice but to forward the matter to the Teaching Service Commission for its consideration.
The Times SUNDAY visited Lu- shaba’s school last Wednesday.


Reporters found the embattled administrator in his house, within the premises of the school.

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