News :: The Swaziland News

By Wendy Magagula

MBABANE: Sikelela Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT) said they will soon approach Parliament and request its intervention in the alleged corruption within the Teaching Service Commission(TSC).

This comes after reports suggesting that female Headteachers linked to TSC Chairman subsequently become untouchable while bullying teachers and as result, the TSC failed to discipline Herefords High School Principal Colisile Maphanga who allegedly assaulted a teacher.

Speaking to this Swaziland News, the SNAT Secretary General said they will approach Parliament on a number of issues and challenges faced by teachers including the corruption at TSC. He then confirmed that the Herefords incident forms part of the issues to be tabled before Parliament but he advised teachers to stand-up for their rights and refuse to be bullied by Principals with TSC connections.

“Teachers are educated people and they must know and stand for their rights, they shouldn’t allow Headteachers to bully them because Principals are teachers just like all of them. We are aware that some of these Headteachers who are now untouchable are linked to TSC Chairman Simanga Mamba and we will approach Parliament to raise a number of issues, the Herefords incident where a teacher was assaulted by a Principal with impunity forms part of those issues” said the SNAT Secretary General.

This publication reported that Colisile Maphanga, the Headteacher at Herefords High School with alleged links to Teaching Service Commission(TSC) Chairman stands accused abusing teachers and intimidating them with fabricated charges. Maphanga allegedly assaulted one Nolwazi Dlamini, the then English Language teacher at the school in full view of other two teachers, Nolwazi suffered serious injuries that temporarily disfigured her face.

A case was opened with the police and TSC, however, the matter later disappeared from both the Pigg’s Peak Magistrate Courts and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC). The Headteacher is also accused of depriving teachers access to water and other basic services just to frustrate them.

When reached for comments, Colisile Maphanga, the Headteacher of the School denied that there were problems at her school.

“We have water in our school, I’m inviting you to come here to see for yourself. As journalists you should report about the facts, stopping taking information from people who are pushing their own selfish agenda. As for the court case, let me advise you to go to the Magistrate Courts to find out what happened to it, I’m not in a position to comment on that”, she said.

When reached for comments, TSC Chairman Simanga Mamba denied the allegations levelled against the TSC accusing them of protecting the Headteacher.

“If you read Regulation 18 of the Teaching Service Regulations, you will appreciate that teachers who have been laid with criminal charges are dealt with by the Schools Manager, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Education not the TSC. Therefore, these allegations are factually and legally wrong”, said the TSC Chairman.

SNAT wants Parliament to intervene as corruption escalates within TSC