A CHIREDZI parent who reported a teacher to the District Schools Inspector (DSI) over alleged improper association with his daughter has accused authorities of covering up or being bribed to sweep cases under the carpet.

BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA

The parent (name withheld to protect the identity of the pupil) who caught his daughter red-handed in bed with her teacher said instead of finding solace in the new law banning such incidents, parents are now traumatised when the culprits walk away freely. He has since written a letter to the Primary and Secondary Education minister which he said he intends to hand over in person. This was after he reported Roddington Makuni Sithole, a teacher at Chingele Secondary School to Chiredzi DSI Petronella Nyangwe in March this year for having an affair with his 15-year-old daughter (name withheld), but the matter never saw the light of the day.

“I confronted him to stop his affair with my daughter. To my surprise two weeks later he approached me through a go-between seeking my daughter’s hand in marriage and to bribe me not to report him to his superiors at the district offices. His go-between was Hlayesi Chaveni from Tanzani Village just next to ours,” the aggrieved parent said.

“He paid R1 000 plus US$10. I made them both to sign and I recorded the whole proceeding before taking the audio and the papers they signed to the district offices to report my case. At the district offices I was told that the complaint was going to the province for disciplinary hearing, but after two months I was told the papers are back at the district offices for lack of evidence.

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What evidence was needed?” he asked.

Nyangwe confirmed receiving the complaint, but said she had forwarded the matter to the Provincial Education Director (PED) for disciplinary hearing.

“Yes, I can confirm that we received such a complaint and we have forwarded it to our provincial offices. I assure you disciplinary action will be taken,” Nyangwe said.

Masvingo PED Zedius Chitiga denied receiving the report.

“I never saw that report. I will just do a routine check on the files, but I am sure I have never received such a report. By now a matter reported in March should have been concluded,” he said.

Sithole refused to comment, while his go between is said to have died last month. Primary and Secondary Education secretary Tumisang Thabela said they will only take action after receiving the complaint. Nyangwe is accused of covering up crimes by teachers in the district, including the one where Alice Mukanga, a school head, was convicted of bashing her subordinate Zivanayi Dekese and fined $80; as well as covering up the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council scam that saw teachers writing final examinations for their girlfriends.