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By Tafara Mutikwi.

MUTARE, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – A storm is brewing at a local school in Mutare in which parents, School Development Committee (SDC) and the headmaster of the school are on collision course on allegations of an unaccounted whopping $36 637.00 as evidenced by the audit carried out in December 2015, News Of The South can now reveal.

The headmaster of St. Augustine’s’ High School Mr. Arnold Makamba and his bursar, Stock Kaingwa are alleged to have failed to account for the $36 637.00 that external auditors from Baker Tilly Gwatidzo Chartered Accountants noted had no supporting documentation.

Prior to this stunning development, a concerned parent had written a letter to the District Schools Inspector (Mutasa) Mr. Zecharia Chikwangwani as well as the Provincial Education Director Mr Edward Shumba in March last year in which the parent complained that there had been three audits at the school in a period of one year (2015) but these audits seemed not to have detected that funds were being embezzled through fraudulent procurement processes.

“I am a parent at St. Augustine’s High School in Penhalonga and am not comfortable to reveal my identity for the sake of my children at the school. There have been three audits in a period of one year but they seem not to be observing that funds are being embezzled through fraudulent procurement processes. On February 27, 2016 there was an A.G.M where it was mentioned in the S.D.C Chairperson’s report that procurement procedures were being flouted.

“There has been missing supporting documents to the tune of $36 637.00 observed by auditors from Baker Tilly Gwatidzo Chartered Accountants and an unexplained variance of $180 939.31 unearthed by auditors from Baker Tilly Gwatidzo. I have been a parent at the school for over twelve continuous years and have seen these school authorities ripping us parents using same systems,” read part of the letter.

A copy of the letter which this paper has in possession revealed that provincial internal auditors from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education were sent at the school with the blessings of the Education Director Mr Edward Shumba in June last year and during their exercise they also concurred that all other allegations on the letter written by the anonymous parent were proven except one of the $36 000 which they allege was paid to Zimsec for Ordinary and Advanced Level registration for the year 2015.

Interestingly, the registration of the said examinations were done in June yet the $35 637.00 and $1 000.00 in question had vouchers raised in November and March respectively.

Examinations were already in progress in November while in the audit report they were recorded as seminars and purchase of books.

However when contacted for comment by News Of The South, the then District Schools Inspector, Mutasa, Mr. Zecharia Chikwangwani was not available for comment while his boss Mr. Shumba sang from a different hymn book.

“I am not aware of the information you are asking me about. In fact late last year I was on leave and probably this whole fiasco happened when I was not around. Mind you I run almost close to 1 266 schools in the province so it could be possible that I overlooked these reports or they are holed in the registry office before they are handed to me”, charged the P.E.D for Manicaland.

The then Chairperson of the School Development Committee Mr. Tapiwa Dave Mutsikwi insisted that the anonymous parent who first smelt the rat and wrote to the D.S.I (Mutasa) as well as the Mr Edward Shumba (P.E.D Manicaland) was not misfiring but was actually articulating the issue on the ground.

“During the period of 2015 I was the chairperson of the S.D.C at the school and I can confirm that the external audit report for the year ending December 2015 noted expenses to the tune of $36 637.00 had no supporting documentation.

“The anonymous letter written by a parent concerned could have obtained that information from me. All allegations are true to the best of my knowledge,” said Mr. Mutsikwi.

Among other allegations that Mr Makamba and his administration pare being alleged to have misappropriated school funds through fraudulent procurement processes are engaging dubious service providers who inflated quotations in order to give the school authorities kickbacks, purchase of oil jacketed pots, bunk beds, teachers being given loans (the school deputy headmistress Mrs Fatima Tizora was given a loan in excess of $1 000) from school funds yet the school is in very heavy debts.

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