Zakhele Primary School in Clermont, Durban. Picture: Nomonde Zondi
Durban — The parents of learners at a school in Clermont, Zakhele Primary School, blocked the entrance on Thursday morning, saying they do not want the deputy principal to come back because he called them barbarians and is disrespectful.
According to the parents, the deputy principal had a lot of cases against him and had been suspended. However, he had been cleared of all his cases. Some parents said they want him back, while others said he is disrespectful and has ruined his relationship with the community.
The divided parents ended up beating each other up because of this matter. In a tense meeting which was held by the school governing body, circuit manager and other parents, one parent made it clear that if this teacher came back on Friday they would block the school entrance.
“The department should take him elsewhere, he is no longer welcome here,” he said.
Moreover, a source close to the matter told the Daily News on Thursday that the core of the problem in the school is the position of being a principal.
“The deputy principal and the current principal were running for this position together. However, during that time problems started arising for the deputy principal, he was accused of many things, including rape,” said the source.
When all of this took place the school principal was not present at the school. The provincial spokesperson for the department, Muzi Mahlambi, condemned the incident and said if the parents were not happy with the decision of the department they should appeal.
“Now that the procedures and processes in dealing with the matter have unfolded and there is a verdict parents should respect that. We are appealing to the parents to respect the rule of law,” said Mahlambi.
Meanwhile, there have been three incidents of violence in schools this week. IOL reported that a school principal was shot and killed at a primary school in Mariannhill and on Thursday the Daily News reported that an invigilator was assaulted at a school in uMlazi.
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