Following the DA’s call for a probe into allegations of mismanagement against a former Pinetown Girls’ High School principal, the KZN Department of Education (DoE) has not yet responded to a media enquiry into the matter.

According to Highway Mail, when asked if any action has been taken regarding the allegations, which include financial mismanagement, against the former principal, the DoE’s media liaison officer, Mlu Mtshali, said he was awaiting updated information from the department’s Pinetown district director.

This comes after the DA said it would launch a probe into the former principal following her promotion to acting circuit manager.

DA MPL Sakhile Mngadi said the party in the KZN Legislature had tabled urgent written parliamentary questions to Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka, ‘following strong indications of alarming governance and disciplinary failures within the Pinetown Education District’.

Mngadi said the 30 days the DoE has to respond to the parliamentary questions have not yet expired and that the DA would take the necessary steps should the department fail to respond to the claims.

“The claims relate specifically to Pinetown Girls’ High School and Westville Senior Primary (WSP),” said Mngadi.

Regarding WSP, the DoE issued a statement saying the allegations against the principal of Westville Senior Primary had been investigated, with due disciplinary processes followed, which culminated in the principal’s return to his post after a suspension.

On the former Pinetown Girls’ High principal, who was reportedly suspended approximately three years ago following serious allegations of financial misconduct, Mngadi said it was disturbing that ‘this individual has since been appointed as acting circuit education manager (CEM) within the very same district’.

“An appointment that, if left unchecked, may severely undermine public confidence in the department’s integrity and oversight structures,” said Mngadi.

The DA wants answers from Hlomuka regarding:

• The timeline, charges and outcome of the disciplinary process against the former principal;
• The process followed in appointing this individual as acting CEM, including whether any risk or integrity vetting was done;
• Whether the appointment was authorised with full knowledge of the unresolved allegations and disciplinary proceedings; and
• What strategic oversight, if any, has been applied to safeguard the credibility of circuit and district appointments.

“This situation is compounded by ongoing instability at Westville Senior Primary School and reveals a troubling pattern. That of acting appointments made without transparency, under-qualified or compromised individuals elevated to positions of authority and a lack of communication with key stakeholders – including school governing bodies and communities.

“This is not simply a matter of human resource procedural failure – it is a symptom of broader governance failures that threaten to destabilise our schools, province-wide. When individuals facing unresolved misconduct allegations are allowed to oversee school principals and financial governance structures, the risk to learners and the education system becomes profound,” said Mngadi.

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