PM’S WIFE PROMOTED AMID CONTROVERSY

NGWENYA – Barely five months after tying the knot with Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, Gugu Precious Simelane has been elevated to the position of Head teacher at Ngwenya Central Primary School.

she  has been at the school since January as deputy head teacher  after being transferred there.
Coincidentally, Simelane steps into the shoes of another Simelane, Bheki, who has been Head teacher at the school for as little as two years after being transferred there recently.

Her promotion is, however, clouded with controversy as it has been made against the Teaching Service Regulations of 1983.
The promotion has been effected without the vacant post having been advertised and potential candidates interviewed.

Section 25 (1) of the regulations clearly spells out that:  “If a promotional post exists in the teaching service, including the post of head teacher and deputy head teacher, the Teaching Service Commission shall advertise the post and shall invite applicants for it”.

INvite candidates to interview

In sub-section (2), the regulation also provides that: “The Teaching Service Commission shall invite candidates referred to in sub-regulation (1) for an interview and shall thereafter communicate its decision directly to the candidates and shall also notify any other person affected by the outcome of the interview”.

Teaching Service Commission Executive Secretary Mduduzi Nkambule confirmed that the post that Simelane has been promoted into was never advertised.

“There was no need to advertise the vacant post at Ngwenya Central Primary,” Nkambule said, stating that this was because Simelane had already been previously interviewed for the position of Head teacher sometime last year but the vacancy was in another school.
“So now there was no need and we had promised her that we would look for another school for her. We had agreed on that one,” Nkambule stated.

He wondered why there was suddenly an interest in the post at Ngwenya Central Primary School not being advertised because they were normally not asked this by the media regarding vacancies in other schools.
“Why are you asking now, especially regarding this post? What has triggered this, is it because she is the PM’s wife?” he asked rhetorically.

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