HARARE - Two Zanu PF officials are embroiled in a school ownership wrangle with parents who are resisting the duo’s plans to indigenise the Eiffel Flats Primary School.
The parents allege that the school’s board of governors (BOG) chairperson Munyaradzi Dhobie and Chegutu West House of Assembly member Dexter Nduna were involved in underhand manoeuvres to take over the school.
Nduna and Dhobie allegedly refused to vacate office after parents passed a vote of no confidence in their leadership on June 15 last year.
Parents claim an interim board led by Darlington Mutetwa, Charles Mushore and Othinel Zvarevashe was blocked from assuming office by the two.
The parents said Nduna was particularly interested in taking over the school arguing that he invested in it after he and other stakeholders helped in the construction of a girls’ hostel at the school.
They also alleged that both Nduna and Dhobie were not bona fide parents at the school as their children have since left the school.
“Nduna claims a stake in the school saying he lost a lot, referring to the death of his children in an accident last year on their way to a school trip,” one parent told the Daily News on condition of anonymity.
“After we realised that Nduna and Dhobie wanted to privatise the school for their personal gain, we passed a vote of no confidence on them but they are resisting vacating.
“Nduna also says he cannot go because he helped in the construction of a girls’ hostel and he threatens anyone he sees as an obstacle to their ambitions including the school head Gift Bere.”
Parents also accuse the board of running down the school which has seen it suspended from the Associated Trust of Schools (ATS).
Nduna sternly warned the Daily News against publishing the story.
“If you want peace with me my friends, just stop doing that story,” he threatened.
“It is very sensitive and I prefer that you just stop it. It touches on my very sensitive parts so we better discuss something else.”
Stakeholders at the school said the Dhobie-led board was deliberately frustrating employees who refused to take their instructions, particularly the headmaster Gift Bere, who has since been suspended.
Despite having been cleared of any wrong doing by a disciplinary committee chaired by Justice Moses Chinhengo last year, the board is alleged to be declining to reinstate Bere.
Inside sources said Nduna particularly wanted Bere out because he had previously challenged him.
Bere confirmed that the board was refusing to reinstate him despite Justice Chinhengo’s ruling.
“They are the ones who chose Justice Chinhengo as the chairman of the disciplinary committee but now they do not want to respect his ruling,” Bere said.
“I think they are fighting a personal war against me that is why they are persecuting me for no apparent reason.”
Bere was suspended from work without pay and benefits on allegations of misconduct.
The action was taken in terms of Section 6 of the Labour (National Employment Code of Conduct) Regulations, of 2006.
Chinhengo ruled that Bere had no case to answer.
“To sum up, the evidence placed before the disciplinary authority did not prove the charges against the employer on a balance of probabilities, let alone any higher level of proof,” Justicer Chinhengo ruled.
“Despite the number of charges they were, each not sufficiently proved to warrant a finding that the employee is guilty of any of the acts of misconduct levelled at him in these proceedings, I therefore find that the employee is not guilty on all the seven charges.”