Video: Parents at crumbling school cannot get answers from education department - and neither can we

Allegations against principal also unanswered

By Adel Van Niekerk

4 February 2022

Parents at Siphiwe Primary in Tembisa township on Gauteng’s East Rand have called on the provincial Education Department to intervene amid fears of children’s safety, the quality of education and the irregular awarding of contracts by the principal of the school.

Chairman of the School Governing Body, Themba Mgabhi says several complaints have been made against the principal since 2014. Mgabhi says there has been a communication breakdown between the principal and parents since the beginning of last year.

Eleven staff members have also not received their January salaries while a former staff member remains on the payroll without a contract.