WOE UNTO TEACHERS WHO FIELDED BOGUS ATHLETES

MBABANE – Head teachers and sports teachers implicated in fielding ineligible players during school sports competitions face severe disciplinary action.

This is as per a stern warning from the Ministry of Education and Training. Under Secretary (US) at the Ministry, Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, confirmed that decisive steps would be taken against staff found to be abusing school funds and engaging in unsporting behaviour. His comments followed worrying allegations concerning schools within the Lubombo Region.

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This publication received reports from concerned pupils suggesting that at least three schools are fielding individuals who are not registered pupils in the ongoing athletics and ball games organised under the banner of the Eswatini Schools Sports Association (ESSA).  Nhlengetfwa stated he would initiate a full investigation into the claims. He stressed that any headteachers and sports teachers proven to be involved in this practice would face disciplinary proceedings. “We will discipline them severely as they are abusing school funds for people who are not intended to benefit from them,” Nhlengetfwa asserted.

He elaborated that such actions constitute a misuse of school finances, likening it to hiring external players using money contributed by the parents of genuine pupils. “It’s like they have hired these non-pupils for the games and are paying them using the deserving pupils’ parents’ hard-earned money,” he added. However, the US indicated that suspending the implicated schools entirely from the competitions was unlikely to be the preferred sanction.

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He reasoned that such a move would unfairly deprive legitimate learners of the opportunity to participate in sports. Instead, the focus of disciplinary measures would be squarely on the offending teaching staff. This stance contrasts slightly with previous indications from ESSA President Zakhele Myeni, who reportedly suggested that schools found guilty of fielding ineligible players, known as ‘defaulters’, could face suspensions lasting up to five years.

The ministry’s Acting Inspector for Sports, Arts and Culture, Thandi Nkambule, also condemned such actions by the concerned schools. She stated that sports are not meant for out-of-school learners, emphasising that they had their chance while they were still at school. “Schools must give way to those who are still within the school system. “We strongly condemn such behaviour,” she said.

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