Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
BULAWAYO \u2014 Kumalo Primary School is embroiled in turmoil as furious parents rally for the removal of headmistress Stella Mhlanga, who faces fraud charges linked to the alleged embezzlement of school funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mhlanga, accused of financial misconduct alongside four staff members, is set to appear in court on May 28, but parents and officials argue her leadership has already irreparably damaged the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“She Must Go Now”: Parents Escalate Calls for Accountability<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a heated School Development Committee (SDC) meeting this week, parents voiced outrage over Mhlanga\u2019s alleged mismanagement, which has triggered a collapse in fee payments and threats of student withdrawals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow can we trust someone accused of looting our children\u2019s future?\u201d demanded one parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis circus ends now \u2014 she must go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scandal has reignited scrutiny of Mhlanga\u2019s controversial career. In 2015, she was dismissed from Magwegwe Primary School following parental protests, and later made headlines for accidentally sharing a pornographic image on a school WhatsApp group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though cleared of misconduct in the latter incident, her reputation remains tarnished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ministry Admits “Reputational Damage,” Suspension Reversed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched disciplinary proceedings, but confusion reigns after Mhlanga\u2019s initial suspension was mysteriously overturned by higher-ranking officials. Provincial Education Director Bernard Mazambani acknowledged the crisis, stating,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis matter is damaging the province\u2019s reputation. We recommended suspension, but someone above us decided otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auditors from Matabeleland North are now probing the missing funds, while the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) recently cited the case as emblematic of corruption eroding education standards during a national workshop in Karoi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Face the Music”: Leadership in Freefall<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mhlanga\u2019s authority continues to unravel.
Last week, she was reportedly expelled from a school heads\u2019 meeting at Bulawayo Adventist High School and told to return to Kumalo to \u201cface the music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parents, meanwhile, are mobilizing a petition to pressure the Ministry to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s already destroyed two schools,\u201d said a parent, referencing her Magwegwe tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe won\u2019t let her wreck a third.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the school year at risk of descending into \u201cchaos,\u201d as one parent warned, the community awaits decisive action from authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, the embattled headmistress remains in post, even as trust in her leadership evaporates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a9\ufe0f2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Innocent Sibonginkosi NcubeBULAWAYO \u2014 Kumalo Primary School is embroiled in turmoil as furious parents rally for the removal of headmistress Stella Mhlanga, who faces fraud charges linked to the alleged… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6982,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6981\/revisions\/6982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}