MASVINGO – The crisis that bedevil Victoria High, one of the best yester-year schools in the country where MDC leader Nelson Chamisa also did his high school, continued on Saturday with parents abandoning a meeting to elect a new School Development Association executive.

This is the third time that the same elections have been abandoned with the current chairman Burton Norupiri prolonging his stay in office despite protests by parents.

Angry parents said the head whose son is accused of using a school vehicle on his private errands has survived a chop from the school so far because he probably has the blessings of his seniors in the Ministry at district and provincial level.

The parents demanded for a meeting with Zedius Chitiga the Provincial Education Director.

Chitiga recently dispatched a high powered delegation of school inspectors to investigate serious allegations of bullying at the school but the results have not yet been made public.

He also undertook to investigate allegations that the school head’s son John Muzamani (Junior) who was a student in the school last year uses Vic High vehicle on private errands.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Tumisang Thabelo confirmed the investigations against Muzamani to The Mirror and said she is now waiting for a report.

The Saturday meeting was chaotic until the Deputy Provincial Education Director Shylet Mhike called for its postponement.
Chitiga said the investigation are done to improve the system not for publications. He said parents should report to him if they have problems.

District schools Inspector Ishmael Chigaba said protocol did not allow him to comment on the matter.

As usual Muzamani shouted at The Mirror reporter before hanging his phone. The Constitution of Zimbabwe requires heads of public institutions to release information to the media in the public interest.

The meeting started at 9am and problems started when parents realised that names of three nominees for some posts namely; Ephraim Marandure, Samuel Mazowe, and Lorraine Muguti had been deleted. One of the nominees Harmony Magune who works for Prisons could not attend the elections under unclear circumstances.

The parents alleged that Vic High has become a feeding trough for senior officers at the Ministry and hence Muzamani was being protected despite the school’s continuous free fall.

Parents accused Muzumani of opening the nominations before elections hence he withdrew nomination papers for candidates he didn’t like to be elected into the school committe.

The parents got angrier when Muzamani failed to produce minutes of the last meeting held on March 8, 2019 and instead said that Chitiga was bringing them along. It was not clear how minutes of a school event were kept at the PED’s office.

However, Mhike who stood in for the PED did not bring  the minutes when she camre.
“I don’t have the minutes with me but the PED will bring them along,” said Muzamani.

It was also noted during the meeting that the head did not give the required 21 days notice for the AGM and that the notice was advertised in a community newspaper rather than a national paper.

Although nomination of candidates was supposed to start on February 24 2020, the advert to bring in the nominations was published four days late on February 28.
Mhike ordered Muzamani to go and re-advertise the meeting in national papers but parents claimed that this was just a delaying tactic so that issues will be swept under the carpet.

“I can confirm that I nominated Ephraim Marandure but to my surprise his nomination papers are not there”, said Alaica Time.

The parents also queried why Norupiri, Joseph Mangombe, Tsere and Mercy Muradzikwa continued to be nominated when they allegedly no longer have children at the school. They alleged that they were faking guardianship.

It is alleged that Norupiri was nominated by Naboth Magwizi who allegedly won a tender to build the school gate. Muradzikwa says he is the guardianship of a child known as Shanon Muzenda who is allegedly the child of Ndarama High School SDC Chairperson.

Norupiri said parents were lying since he has more than one kid at the school.
Mangombe said he could not give a comment.

Muradzikwa’s cellphone was off,she  opened and did not respond to a WhatsApp message left on her phone. 
Parents called for health inspectors to inspect toilets that are blocked and uncut grass that is pausing danger to children. They alleged that meat served in the dining is rotten.

“That school will never progress as long as Muzamani is there. He is a head patronised by those above him and that is his only qualification to head that school,” said a parent who recently transferred his child.

• MasvingoMirror