Brilliant Mukaro
MASVINGO – Ndarama High School head Oddy Matongo is allegedly developing cold feet following the SDA’s decision to hire private auditors to look into the school’s books of accounts.
Reliable sources told The Midweek Watch that Matongo is trying to employ every trick in the book to bar the audit, but the SDA is determined to go ahead with the exercise as they risk parents backlash.
The school’s SDA chair, Martin Makweza preferred to be diplomatic about the matter saying Matongo did not openly bar the auditors.
Makweza said the head preferred the auditors to first have a look at the audit report carried out by internal auditors from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education last year.
He however confirmed that Matongo refused to sign a letter addressed to the District Schools Inspector Ismael Chigaba informing him about the SDA’s decision to hire a private forensic auditor.
Parents at the school had requested for a forensic audit of the school’s finance books since July last year when they elected a new committee led by Enesia Chekacheke who is a teacher at Chikato Primary school.
The parents complained of lack of transparency and wanted to understand how a US$900 000 loan acquired from BancABC in 2019, which the parents are paying was used for.
After the Chekacheke led committee which was voted out on April 22 failed to ensure the carrying out of the audit, parents resolved to reduce the fees to US$80 until an audit was done.
Chekacheke and Matongo however hiked the fees to US$156 without the approval of the parents. The parents then resolved that those who had paid the US$156 would only pay US$4 this term until an audit was carried out.
The parents said the fees will only be reviewed after the results of the forensic audit are published.
Impeccable sources told The Midweek Watch that Matongo has since allegedly developed cold feet and is trying by all means to block the audit.
He allegedly ordered the SDA to first seek approval from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, but refused to sign and stamp the letter to the DSI.
He is also said to have refused the auditors access to the school’s books.
The source said Matongo offered to give the committee a report of last year’s internal audit when the private auditors arrived at the school yesterday.
Ironically Matongo had vehemently refused to release the results during the school’s AGM in April and is only releasing them now to cool down the parents’ tempers and avoid a forensic audit.
The source said during the AGM Matongo told parents that the audit results could not be released as they are part of former SDA bursar Henry Chivhanga’s defence application which is before the courts.
He however allegedly told Makweza yesterday that the report was with Chekacheke.
“The head is trying to block the forensic audit by all means, he claimed that the report was part of Chivhanga’s application during the AGM now he is saying the report is with Chekacheke which shows that he is afraid of the audit,” said the source.
When contacted for a comment Matongo said he is not allowed to speak to the Press and referred all questions to Chigaba.
Chigaba said the SDA has no right to call for an independent audit since there are Government employees mandated to carry out such duties.
