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The KwaZulu-Natal education department has laid charges of internal misconduct against a Durban principal and the provincial leaders of teachers’ union Sadtu – alleging that she sold a teaching post at her Folweni school to an educator, who later blew the whistle on the jobs-for-cash scam.
Thembekile Makhanya, principal of the Windy Heights Primary School in the city’s Umlazi education circuit, will face the departmental charges.
These stem from the alleged sale of a post at Sophie Pewa Primary School, in Folweni, to educator Nkonzwenle “Nkonzo” Mqadi for R12 000.
Mqadi told City Press in an exposé last year that he paid her R1 000 a month for a year. When he stopped sending the cash to her with one of her Grade 6 pupils, his employment with the department was illegally terminated – twice – by a clique of corrupt departmental officials working with Makhanya.
Mqadi’s revelations came during the commission of inquiry into an alleged national jobs-for-cash scam run by Sadtu, which was uncovered by City Press in 2014. The probe was commissioned by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
Mqadi subsequently gave evidence to investigators working on the ministerial report, headed by academic Professor John Volmink, as well as the SA Council for Educators (Sace).
At the time, he claimed he had stopped paying the bribe for his transfer from Mariannhill to Folweni – which was collected by one of Makhanya’s learners every payday in a copy of Isolezwe newspaper – because he could no longer afford to do so as he had crashed his car.
An impeccable education department source told City Press this week that Makhanya’s misconduct hearing would go ahead on August 17 and that she was facing several counts relating to the allegations made by Mqadi, who also laid criminal charges of extortion and corruption against her late last year.
A chairperson and a representative of the department, who will act as a prosecutor in the case, have also been appointed by the department.
The charges against Makhanya, a member of the board of the Coastal Technical and Vocational Education and Training College, have been brought in terms of the Employment of Educators Act of 1998 and could result in her being dismissed from the department.
Mqadi (48), who is receiving treatment for cancer – and who served notice of intention to sue the provincial education department for R10 million in damages earlier this year – declined to comment, referring City Press to the department.
Makhanya, who has also been suspended by Sadtu, has appeared before the Education Labour Relations Council on misconduct charges based on Mqadi’s claims. She did not take calls from City Press.
Sadtu spokesperson Nomarashia Caluza said that she was unaware of any charges and that Sadtu had no comment on the matter. She said Makhanya’s Sadtu case, which related to allegedly running “parallel” union structures, had not been concluded.
Sicelo Khuzwayo, spokesperson for education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana, did not respond to calls from City Press.
