Alexandra’s Dr Knak Primary School SGB asks principal John Shai to resign

Disgruntled School Governing Body (SGB) members at Dr Knak Primary School were joined by some community members outside the school on December 4 to demand that the principal step down.

The principal, John Shai, is accused by the SGB of misusing funds from the school. “Not so long ago, he bought himself a chair for
R9 500 while the teachers didn’t have a boardroom, and classrooms don’t have smart writing chalkboards,” alleged SGB member, Dineo Sithe.

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She also lamented the unlit, unhygienic state of the bathrooms, pointing out a particular classroom beneath the toilets upstairs. Sithe claimed urine dripped directly onto learners seated in that classroom and said these issues were not new.

“From what I heard, these issues go back a long time. We took the SGB reigns on March 31 and those before us have confirmed these issues date back many years,” Sithe said.
Sithe alleged Shai had a ‘chosen few’ teachers on his side whom he was said to persuade with take-out foods such as KFC and Nando’s.

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Fellow SGB member Bafedile Rasebeka is a parent of three learners in the school, two of whom she claimed have contracted infections from using the school’s bathroom facilities.

“My daughter in Grade 3 had a problem. I didn’t understand why she was always complaining about her private parts until I took her to the clinic, and they said she had an infection Then, my son also had an infection. He missed three days of school because of this,” said Rasebeka.
“I came to the school, and the principal asked me why is it that only my children are getting these infections. Some teachers said we are a nuisance and a problem as a school governing body, compared to the previous SGB.”

Rasebeka said her solution for her daughter had been to send her to school with a bucket to use when she wanted to urinate.

“Imagine that, a nine-year-old carrying a bucket every day. Her teacher called me and said she gets embarrassed, but I’m doing it because she’s got an infection, and I can’t keep taking out money to go to the doctor.”

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed that the GDE was aware of challenges at the school but denied that Shai had gotten authorisation from the department to purchase such an expensive chair.

“Yes, we are aware of infrastructural challenges at the said school, and as such we have appointed a service provider who will attend to these structural challenges accordingly. We are in constant liaison with necessary stakeholders,” Mabona said, adding that the school would be ready to open for learning in 2025.

Shai was contacted for his side of the story on December 5. He saw the messages and had not responded at the time of going to print on December 9.

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