Glenvista High SGB integrity questioned Page 6
TOP STORY Amidst the ongoing conflict over the investigation into the misuse of millions of rands at Glenvista High School, the integrity of School Governing Body (SGB) members is being questioned by whistleblowers. Former parent of the school, Bobbi Magagula, and another parent, who sat on the SGB from 2012 to 2014, who wishes to remain anonymous, approached tame TIMES with damning inside information regarding the financials of the school as well as concerns regarding accountability. “I am in possession of documents proving that illegal quarterly bonuses and illegal travel allowances were paid for during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 period,” says the former SGB member. “We are in the possession of a 2015 consolidated budget where the actuals to September 2014 reflects an amount over R13-million. And yet a provisional amount of over R12-million was made for October, November and December 2014. How is it possible to spend R13-million in nine months and provision was made for R12-million in three months?” say the concerned parents. “In 2013, a R4.3-million investment was made and then R3.4-million was disinvested. The school closed in the first week of December 2013 and, surprisingly, a disinvestment of R1.9-million was made during that period. According to the SGB minutes dated November 2013 no permission was given for the disinvestment as some SGB members were not aware of this illegal investment account at the time,” add the parents. The concerned parents noted that the current SGB chairperson, Prince Maluleke, and current SGB treasurer, Vincent Manthata, were members of the SGB 2012-2014, and were, they say, well aware of the financial irregularities that occurred. “Maluleke was on the EXCO and Finance Committee of 2013 and was appointed chairperson in 2014 and Manthata was the treasurer of the SGB 2014, and yet they continue to mislead the parents and public about the corrupt activities that took place during their term as members of the SGB 2012-2014,” says the former SGB member. tame TIMES contacted Glenvista High SGB Chairperson Prince Maluleke as well as Glenvista High SGB Treasurer Vincent Manthata for comment. “We have nothing to hide,” says Maluleke.
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“My conscience is clean – I know that I didn’t steal any money,” says Manthata. “Most of the issues raised in the KPMG report are the same issues that were previously identified and we have dealt with some of them already. These issues are not new,” says Maluleke.
in December 2013 by law firm Bowman Gilfillan.” “Maluleke stated that he was never involved in any unauthorised payments and was never implicated in the reports for any financial irregularity, even though the KPMG report implicated him of being misleading.
“At the time we were aware of the financial irregularities and took steps to correct them,” notes Manthata, adding that a group of concerned SGB members hosted several meetings to try to iron out and rectify the issues. While the MEC in his statements has said that criminal action will be taken against SGB 2013 members as well as those that served on the SGB 2014 when these decisions were made, members of the SGB 2012-2014 are still on the current SGB, says the former SGB member. “No one from the school has been approached by the police and no one has been arrested,” says Maluleke. The former SGB member is of the opinion that the MEC is protecting current SGB members who have been implicated in law firm Bowman Gilfillan’s Forensic Audit report 2013 as well as audit firm KPMG’s July 2015 forensic investigation report relating to the inadequate management of financial affairs of the school. According to the KPMG report findings, “The current chairperson of the SGB failed to provide correct and accurate information to the parents [on] the status of the school’s governance and financial matters relating to the forensic investigation conducted.
Furthermore, the department has evidence of unauthorised payments and financial irregularities in 2014 when Maluleke was chairperson,” says the former SGB member. According to the KPMG report, the former SGB operated more than one bank account without approval from the department, as per the South African Schools Act. “We received permission from the GDE to open up further bank accounts. We have the paperwork to prove it - I can show you,” notes Maluleke. The KPMG report also stated that timeshares donated to the school were not used for fundraising as intended but were instead auctioned to the staff at rates that did not cover the levies the school was paying for them. “The school has had timeshare since 1993 which was intended to be used as an incentive for the staff. It was not a moneymaking thing. Currently we are in the process of selling the timeshare but need to find suitable buyers,” explains Maluleke. Magagula says that in 2012 she unearthed financial irregularities at the school, such as “the lack of a proper asset register” and “donations to the
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school not being included properly in the financial statements.” “The public is being misled by everyone involved. The MEC stated that Glenvista High is the ‘most corrupt school that he has ever come across.’ If this is the case then why hasn’t the school been placed under administration by the department?” questions Magagula. Magagula asks why Maluleke is still serving as the current chairperson and further questions why the MEC has not removed him from the SGB. “Why were the members of the SGB 2012-2014, who remain on the SGB, not charged?” she adds. The whistleblowers suspect that the current SGB will be making further provisions for illegal expenditure in the 2016 budget and will lack transparency. “The parents should be warned before the next school AGM on 19 November 2015 not to be misled and allow for any provision in these illegal payments in the 2016 budget. They should hold the SGB accountable for mismanagement of their school’s funds,” urge the whistleblowers. “The parents have never had any issues about the budgets that have been drawn up. They approved the 2014 and 2015 budget,” notes Manthata. “The negative publishing on Glenvista High is damaging for the school. Currently the school is caught in a crossfire and with the current exams in process this is not needed,” says Maluleke. “If there is wrongdoing in the school then by all means it needs to be fixed; however, I won’t allow the image of the school to be tarnished,” says Manthata. “We are fighting for the interest of the school,” Manthata said. “If 1 400 parents are not happy with us then they should dismiss us. But this has never been the case,” adds Manthata. At the time of publishing, the GDE had failed to provide comment. tame TIMES will be following this story closely and will provide update stories in the future.