PHATENG PRINCIPAL MOHLALA RUNS KANGAROO COURT

Phateng Secondary School principal Mohlala runs a Kangaroo Court at his school in Mamelodi.

This emerged after a lady working in the school’s feeding scheme programme Nthabiseng Morongwa Makola was dismissed earlier this year without a fair hearing.

She was accused of beating up a lady teacher at the school.

The teacher who was allegedly assaulted was called to testify at the hearing on the part of the school, while Makola was refused an opportunity to call her own witnesses.

One of the definitions of a Kangaroo Court entails finding an accused person guilty without allowing them to call witnesses who will testify in their defence.

In a Kangaroo Court, the guilty verdict against the accused is predetermined.

Tshwane Talks contacted the school’s principal Mohlala and indicated to him that the hearing against Nthabiseng Morongwa Makola was apparently unfair and tantamount to a Kangaroo Court.

Tshwane Talks then sent the following questions to Principal Mohlala regarding what Nthabiseng Makola deems to be an unfair dismissal against her:

1.Why was Nthabiseng Morongwa Makola not allowed to call her own witnesses during the disciplinary hearing?

2. Do your school’s disciplinary hearings not allow witnesses to be called?

3. Where is it written that witnesses won’t be called during Phateng Secondary School’s disciplinary hearings?

Tshwane Talks also pointed out to Principal Mohlala that by virtue of calling the teacher who was allegedly assaulted to testify as to how she was assaulted is tantamount to calling a witness anyway, and that it was therefore unfair not to allow Makola to also call her own witnesses.

At the time of publishing this story Mohlala had not yet responded to the said questions by Tshwane Talks.

The Gauteng Department of Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona was also alerted to this apparent Kangaroo Court processtaking place at Phateng High School a long time ago and he assured Tshwane Talks that the Education District officers in Tshwane were attending to the matter.

But up until now neither the District Education officers nor Mabona have contacted the dismissed Makola regarding developments of the said Kangaroo Court.

Makola is confident that the disciplinary hearing against her was factually and procedurally flawed and therefore demands to be reinstated with immediate effect.