Times Of Swaziland: SNAT REPORTS 25 MISCONDUCT CASES AGAINST TSC

SNAT REPORTS 25 MISCONDUCT CASES AGAINST TSC
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 BY SIBUSISO ZWANE on 29/09/2020 01:29:00


MANZINI - A total of 25 teachers have laid claims of professional misconduct and
corruption purported to have taken place at TSC.
The TSC is the Teaching Service Commission, which is responsible for making
appointments (including promotions and transfers) and selection of candidates
for appointment, confirmation of appointments, termination of appointments,
disciplinary control and removal of teachers from office, among many functions.
In fact, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) has reported the
25 cases to the Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza and Principal
Secretary Bertram Stewart.
This was disclosed by the teachers’ union Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini,
in a statement which he issued yesterday. He said the number of cases was
expected to increase as more teachers were bound to come forward with evidence
pertaining to the suspected professional misconduct and corruption.
An investigation that was conducted by this publication found that some of the
cases of alleged professional misconduct and corruption include money for jobs,
promotions, transfers and sexual abuse.
Evidence
The investigations also uncovered that SNAT was currently collecting available
evidence about the so-called professional misconduct and corruption cases. In
fact, an insider revealed that in some of the alleged cases, the teachers union
was getting evidence like money transfers.
It should be noted that all the claims by the teachers’ union remain
allegations as no one has been charged for any wrongdoing.
Dlamini said as a national executive committee (NEC) of the teachers’ union,
they found it worthwhile to update the general membership, in particular, and
the nation at large about the latest developments on the purported professional
misconduct and corruption that was said to be taking place within the TSC.
He said the SNAT NEC met the minister and the PS on September 18, 2020 over the
matter. The unionist said the meeting was held as a follow-up to a letter that
the SNAT NEC wrote to the PS on August 27, 2020.
“We presented 25 cases of alleged professional misconduct and corruption. The
cases were  submitted to SNAT by affected teachers,” the secretary general
said.
In that meeting, SNAT also learnt that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had
also started investigating the alleged corrupt practices by certain officers in
the TSC.
Furthermore, he said, as an association they were gravely concerned about the
conduct of officers within the TSC.
“For the record, it must be known that among the 25 cases that SNAT presented,
there are those that point directly to officers who are holding high offices
within the commission,” Dlamini claimed.
He advised the officers in question to sit back and concentrate on the
turbulence that could affect them. Certain elements relating to the statement
issued by SNAT will not be published as they form part of serious allegations
that have not been proven.
Of particular note, the secretary general said, was the realisation that such
allegations of professional misconduct and corruption had made the office of the
TSC chairman to be very resourceful in terms of how the different departments in
the Ministry of Education and Training should operate in an ideal situation.
“However, it is a misfortune that such educational information comes out for
the first time in 10 years,” he said.
Justice
Thereafter, he said as SNAT, they assured their members and the nation that in
their impartial pursuit of justice, they faced neither left nor right, but
forward.
The unionist said the SNAT vehicle had no reverse gear and they had already
crossed the point of no return in this regard.
“We are only making a small contribution as an organisation, sisaphonsa litje
esivivaneni ngekulungisa the country in the manner that we do,” he said.
On another note, the secretary general invited all teachers who had evidence of
corruption to approach his office, either personally, electronically and or
telephonically. He said they were preparing for an offensive approach to the
allegations and their ballistic missiles were ready for commissioning.  He then
applauded the members who had taken the courage to come forward with such cases.
He said the advice that had been given by some officers within the TSC that the
affected educators should report the alleged purported cases of professional
misconduct and corruption to the ACC or police was misguided. He said no one
from the commission had a right to direct their members in terms of what they
should do. He said they were responsible for their own course as SNAT.