Durban — The National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) has called for the immediate removal of a school principal who was captured in a video clip allegedly slapping a staff member at a Chatsworth school recently.
The Naptosa chief executive officer Thirona Moodley said her union was shocked and was calling for the removal of this violent staff member. Moodley said she is calling for a full investigation into whether the procedure was followed when the principal was placed at the school.
The Daily News has since established that the school was Witteklip Secondary in Chatsworth. According to information obtained from the school, the man appearing on the video allegedly slapping someone is the principal, who, according to the school governing body (SGB) member, was mysteriously brought to the school because he was displaced.
According to the SGB member, the staff member who was allegedly being slapped on the video was the SGB chairperson who went to ask who the man was after he had allegedly instructed the financial clerk to increase a salary of a volunteering staff member by R1 000 without the SGB knowledge.
The member said the clerk and the staff member whose pay was topped-up with thousand are employed by the governing body.
“As the governing body of the school, we do not know where the man came from and what his status was in our school since we were not informed except to be told he was coming to assist. There was no paperwork as the procedure, but the man has resumed duties of a principal while we have an acting principal who was lawfully appointed,” said the SGB member.
He further said the man was brought without discussion with the governing body, and it was said he would assist the school to improve the results since he had no school at the moment. The member said the man assumed the powers of the principal, and was instructing the staff behind the acting principal’s back.
The SGB chairperson said he would not comment since he had opened a case of assault and was meeting with the department officials on Wednesday.
The DA has also weighed in on the matter.
Dr Imran Keeka, who is the party spokesperson on Education, said he had communicated this to both the MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer, as well as to the Head of the Department, Nathi Ngcobo.
“As a matter of procedure, this will be investigated. We are hopeful that a response will be forthcoming as soon as their internal procedures are complete. We remain of the view that any alleged victim is well within their right to press charges, and this is a must if there was indeed any form of physical assault. Equally, the department may also be within its right to determine if there was a breach of school security, danger to anyone's lives on the school premises, or trespassing,” said Keeka.
He said any form of assault must be condemned and considered repugnant, and the law must take its course.
The Department of Education has not commented on the matter.
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