…principal vanishes with staff salaries
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CHIREDZI – The principal of a new private college called Tamar Academy is nowhere to be found barely two months after opening the school, leaving his staff in a quandary as he had not paid their salaries.
Tamar Academy is situated at stand number 1189 West Road, Tshovani Township, and it started enrolling pupils in March.
Some teachers told TellZim News that when they were employed in February by Luke Mahlupeko, who was the principal, they signed contract forms which stated that they were going to get between US$200 to US$300 salaries at the end of every month.
They said at the end of March, they did not receive any cash and were told that they should stop coming to work and wait for their salaries to be processed but nothing happened.
They finally decided to go back to the academy and check on progress but were shocked to find that the school was now being run by a different director under a different name.
“We started working from 1 March up to the day we closed schools in April but we were never given anything. He only told us that he was working on paying our salaries,” said the teacher.
Another teacher, Takura Mahlatini said Mahlupeko threatened him with unspecified action when he called him to ask about the money.
“He threatened to deal with anybody who goes against him saying he was a member of the President’s Office (CIO) and since then, I stopped asking for my money,” said Mahlatini.
Former Chiredzi District Education Officer (DEO) Asaniel Chauke, who was left in charge of the academy when Mahlupeko left, told TellZim News the academy will be registered under a different.
“Tamar Academy is now a closed chapter. I was left as teacher-in-charge at the institution because I was also employed there as an English teacher. Mahlupeko left me to take care of the institution when he left in May. He never returned and we are working on starting a new thing and we are organising to register the college under a different name,” said Chauke.
He also told TellZim News that during their time at Tamar Academy, nobody received any salary.
Attempts to get a comment from Mahlupeko were fruitless as his phone continuously went unanswered.local
