PARENTS at a controversial Mpumalanga primary school have given police one month to arrest people implicated in the theft of R4 500 from school funds.
Parents at Ndlaphu Primary School at Daantjie, near Nelspruit, claim police have made no progress in a fraud case reported two years ago when money was stolen from the school’s cheque account.
Now, they’ve given police one month to take action.
Chairman of the school governing body and parent, Johannes Shongwe, said on Thursday parents wanted the money back.
“Parents are really concerned about the funds and want those responsible to repay the money,” he explained.
The case was investigated in 1998 but was withdrawn when police failed to trace the person who withdrew the money, using a fraudulent ID book. Shongwe said four teachers, including principal George Nkosi, would be called to a meeting at the end of June to answer questions about the missing funds.
The four had signing powers for school funds at the time of the theft and one of them was related to the missing suspect, he said. The four teachers are still teaching at the school.
Captain Rihanie Hardegen of the Nelspruit fraud unit confirmed on Thursday the case was withdrawn after the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to prosecute because there were no suspects.
“During our investigation we found there was no suspect and it’s difficult for such a case to be tried successfully in court,” Hardegen explained.
The school made news last month when sub-contractors welded its gates shut to demand money still owed to them for construction work at the school two years ago.
Main contractor, Matfoti Nkosi, claims the department did not pay R1,3 million due to him, of which R300 000 is owed to six sub-contractors. The departments of education and public works have vehemently denied owing any contractor money to build the school.
The Mpumalanga United Business Organisation Fund has intervened on behalf of the sub-contractors.
— African Eye News Service, June 9, 2000.