Outstanding school fees and a failed application for a fee exemption dating back to June 2019 are allegedly behind a spat between a parent and the principal of Laerskool Theo Wassenaar, south of Johannesburg.
The situation is said to have got so bad that the principal, Firzaana Tagari, secured a protection order against the parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his children.
The order prohibits the man from coming within 50 metres of Tagari, her residence or place of employment.
In response, the father has applied for the order to be set aside on grounds that he was not issued with an interim order or the matter heard. The case is set down for the high court in Johannesburg in October.
“The applicant’s (principal) affidavit contains a misrepresentation of facts,” reads the man’s affidavit in his application. It goes on to say he wants to protect his children from ill-treatment and expulsion from the school.
In January, the school governing body (SGB) wrote to the Gauteng department of education, asking that his two children be transferred to another school in an effort to diffuse the situation. The department is yet to respond.
Asked how he felt about sending his children to school, the man said it was not easy, but it was a fight he was willing to continue. “I can’t simply move my children from the school because there are problems. As a parent, I must fix what I feel is being done wrong,” he said.
According to SGB chairperson Jack Chirwa, numerous incidents occurred that made them feel Tagari was unsafe.
“During the meeting in June last year, the man told the principal that he will take her out. He repeated the same statement during the annual general meeting (AGM) in November last year,” Chirwa alleged.
“During the AGM, he told parents that their kids’ lives are in danger with Mrs Tagari. He has been defaming her every chance he gets.”
Chirwa said their problems started in June 2019 when the parent was behind with school fees and the SGB called for a meeting to try to resolve the issue. At the meeting the parent tried to physically attack Tagari, he claimed.
“Immediately after the meeting we saw the need to install video and audio cameras in the principal’s office because we saw how things can easily go wrong with parents,” he said.
The parent has, however, dismissed all the SGB’s claims that he owed school fees and wanted a payment exemption.
He said central to their dispute was the mismanagement of funds at the school. The father said he was being victimised for being vocal about things that were wrong at the school. However, he could not give specifics.
We have been in constant liaison with the school to assist in resolving the said matter. The department is working closely with both parties in finding the best solution that will be in the interest of the children.
— Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona
“The Gauteng department of education is aware of the concerns I have about how things are run at the school. As a local leader, I’ve been involved in uncovering a lot of wrong things happening at schools in the area. With this particular school it’s unfortunate because it’s a school where my children go to,” he said.
Spokesperson for the Gauteng department of education Steve Mabona said the department viewed the protection order in a serious light and had engaged with the police to assist the school. He said claims by the SGB that the department was not helping in this matter were not true.
“We have been in constant liaison with the school to assist in resolving the said matter. The department is working closely with both parties in finding the best solution that will be in the interest of the children.”
Mabona said according to a preliminary investigation, the parent’s child was knocked down by a car outside the school premises and he requested the school’s assistance in launching a claim with the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
“The school advised him to take the child to the doctor to launch a proper claim. That’s where the tension started,” Mabona said.
