The school where a 15-year-old grade 8 pupil was stabbed to death this week has been in state of chaos both structurally and administratively for years despite efforts to bolster it.
Sowetan has established that, Pholosho Junior Secondary School in Alexandra, Johannesburg, which was thrust into the spotlight after tragic killing of Qayiya Mgaye, has been marred by leadership squabbles, allegations of selling of teacher posts, poor management and general lack of security.
Some of the school's walls have been damaged with gaping holes and graffiti on them. Some classrooms according to parents have ceilings and black boards falling apart while parameter devil's fork fence, which the alleged killer of Mgaye jumped over after fetching a knife, covered with iron zincs in some areas.
Gauteng education MEC Panyza Lesufi said on Tuesday he has heard of accusations of poor management at the school and that squabbles by parents had resulted in a R100,000 donation made by former president Kgalema Montlanthe to build the wall not being used for this.
Motlanthe who attended the school and has been involved in various efforts to refurbish it since 2013 together with Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, who was also educated at the school.
The school's principal Dingaan Kubheka has been on suspension for more than six months, according to school governing body chairperson Ncamile Poponi.
Poponi said the staircases of the building block are wobbly raising fears that they would collapse on learners one day.
“The classes on the top floor are full of holes as they are built with hardboards. You can imagine how difficult it is for learners to concentrate in such conditions. It is for this reason that we ask the department to build us a new school,” he said.
A grade 8 pupil said some teachers did not even bother to go to class.
“We have not had geography and Sesotho lessons since the school reopened in March this year. We spend most of time without teachers but we see them sitting in the staff room,” she said.
In addition, Poponi said more than R600,000 of funds “disappeared from the school's bank accounts” on July 7 after they were transferred to an unknown account which he said the bank was investigating.
Sowetan has seen bank notifications of the transfers.
The transfer happened during a changeover of signatories to the school's bank account following the election of a new SGB led by Poponi in April.
Cleaners and security at the school said they had not been paid their salaries for months.
Poponi confirmed that workers had not been paid for three months. He said the money that disappeared from the school's account was meant for operational expenses including salaries. The school receives funds twice a year from the Gauteng department of education to cover its running costs.
“This transaction [the transfer of more than R600k] happened a few days after we had changed signatories to the bank account. The people who were responsible for signing was me, the acting principal Matume Makwela and the SGB treasurer Sikhumbuzo Radebe. It had taken time for us to change the signatures because Gauteng education took time to recognise us as the new SGB,” he said.
Poponi said on July 8, he and Makwela went to the bank for a statement as they did not have access to online banking. He said the previous SGB members had access to the account.
He said the transaction was authorised online and as the new signatories they were still waiting to be trained for online transactions.
“When the money went off the school's account I called Makwela who rushed to the bank to try and stop the transaction. We could not trace the account and Makwela said he was going to open a case which I have never seen,” he said.
Makwela refused to comment when approached by Sowetan referring all questions on the funds to the Gauteng education department.
A cleaner who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said they heard that the money was stolen at the bank.
“We have families to take care of and we have been forced to borrow money from loan sharks. There is no gas at the school. Pupils have been eating porridge for breakfast and lunch. Some of these pupils are from disadvantage families and they depend on the school meal. A hungry person can be violent,” she said.
The cleaners said they have to buy their own cleaning materials to use at the school.
Poponi said the school was operating on a zero budget but they were hoping to get feedback from the bank so that the school's account could be opened.
Radebe refused to comment on the matter saying it was still under investigation.
A former SGB treasurer who asked not to be named said the money donated by Motlanthe became a source of conflict between the principal and SGB over the fencing of the school. She said she was once called to sign a cheque for the same money to be used for buying learning material but she refused.
“At some point we were told that the school needs approval from the department to fence it. I truly don’t know what happened to the money,” she said.
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