National Teachers Union (Natu) secretary-general Mathemba Mabija has criticised the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education for what he describes as its failure to intervene at uMkhumbane Secondary School in Chesterville, Durban, where a months-long teachers’ boycott has severely disrupted learning and teaching at the high-performing school.
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The National Teachers Union (Natu) has raised serious concerns over what it describes as the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education’s failure to resolve the ongoing instability at uMkhumbane Secondary School in Chesterville, Durban.
The school, regarded as one of the province’s top-performing matric institutions, has repeatedly made headlines in recent months for controversy and disruptions rather than academic excellence.
Last year, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were installed in classrooms in an effort to curb bullying, theft and vandalism at the school. However, tensions escalated a few months later when some teachers affiliated to the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) boycotted classes, claiming the cameras had been installed without proper consultation.
Last week, the situation deteriorated further when the school’s main gate was padlocked and notice boards were hung outside the premises.
Natu secretary-general Mathemba Mabija visited the school on a fact-finding mission and said the situation had severely affected both learners and teachers.
Mabija accused the department of deliberately ignoring the crisis despite months of disrupted learning.
“Learning was disrupted when 22 teachers stopped teaching. It has now been three months and the department has done nothing,” said Mabija.
He argued that the department should have intervened long ago either by compelling teachers to return to classrooms or by appointing temporary educators to support those who continued teaching.
Mabija further insisted that the boycott had little to do with CCTV cameras and was instead politically motivated. He also criticised the suspension of principal Ntokozo Ngobese, saying the department had failed to provide clear reasons for its decision.
“Since they are quiet, they are busy trumping up charges because his suspension letter did not state the reasons. It is clear the department is still searching for charges to prefer against him,” he said.
According to Mabija, no teacher committed to the wellbeing of learners would oppose CCTV cameras that were introduced primarily for safety and security purposes.
He said the ongoing disruption was especially worrying as learners were preparing for mid-term examinations.
Mabija added that teachers who remained on duty had reported suffering from stress and emotional exhaustion due to the tense environment at the school.
“There is a teacher who told us they had to take week-long sick leave. They said it was the first time they had been absent from work for such a long period since joining the school,” he said.
Mabija said he contacted KwaZulu-Natal Education head of department Nkosinathi Ngcobo to seek clarity on the department’s intervention plans.
“He said they are dealing with the matter at district level. But when I asked whether the district had updated him on the latest developments, he became evasive. That made it clear they are not doing anything at all,” Mabija claimed.
The unrest at the school reportedly began shortly after schools reopened in January. On February 16, Sadtu-affiliated teachers allegedly stopped entering classrooms while demanding the removal of the CCTV cameras.
Parents, however, strongly opposed the removal of the surveillance system, arguing that it had significantly reduced incidents of theft and break-ins at the school.
With classes disrupted and a shortage of teaching staff, parents, through the School Governing Body (SGB), were eventually forced to hire temporary teachers who graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, to assist learners.
Shortly thereafter, principal Ngobese was suspended for three months pending an investigation.
After weeks of silence, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education later issued a brief statement saying Ngobese had been suspended for multiple allegations of insubordination, including allegedly refusing to allow a teacher to resume duties after being reinstated by the department.
Parents also approached the Pietermaritzburg High Court seeking an order preventing the removal of the CCTV cameras. The court ruled in their favour.
Attempts to obtain comment from Sadtu KwaZulu-Natal secretary Nomarashiya Caluza were unsuccessful.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education spokesperson Mlungisi Mtshali said he was out of the province and did not yet have full details regarding the latest developments at uMkhumbane Secondary School. However, he acknowledged concern over the impact the ongoing instability was having on learners.
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