Maun SSS teachers accused of stealing
Three Maun Senior Secondary School teachers could find themselves serving double detention, or at least some time-out on the naughty chair, for allegedly stealing camp chairs from the school’s newly opened Faculty of Tourism.
The trio, two females and a male, are currently being investigated by the police after the matter was reported to the cops.
Speaking to The Voice, Botswana Sector of Educators Union (BOSETU) National Committee’s Secretary for Secondary Schools, Thomas Vaetehuno Kajuu, confirmed the development but insisted the issue should have been dealt with ‘in-house’.
He revealed the trouble started when Maun SSS teachers travelled to Kasane on a team-building exercise recently.
“They took camping equipment, including tents and camp chairs from the hospitality school.”
Shortly after their return, the school hosted Nata SSS for a weekend of sporting activities.
“The Nata team was given the camp chairs to use. At the end of the games when the chairs were collected, it was discovered that some were missing; one particular teacher was using an identical chair but insisted it was hers. That is when a search for the chairs was made,” he explained, adding two teachers were found with the missing chairs at their home.
All three were reported to Maun police for theft of government property – something Kajuu feels was completely unnecessary.
“The case is an administration error and, by extension, abuse of power by those managing the facility. This is a clear case of abuse. It is common to see teachers using school chairs even at their teacher’s quarters. There was no need to involve the police. The male teacher has since returned the chair but he was reported as well and you can see that this is only a witch hunt.”
It is reported the teaching staff at Maun SSS is plagued by internal squabbling, with most of the tension emanating from course work and related compensation.
“So, the school is divided; there are grudges and backstabbing,” observed Kajuu.
Meanwhile, Maun Station Commander, Dennis Zilawe, told The Voice the case was yet to be forwarded to Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to decide on the way forward.
