The remaining members of the Board of Directors behind the ousting of Tulip Combined School NPC principal Noluthando Nyandeni have finally broken their silence.
Russel Wolpe, who is one of them, recently held a staff meeting at the Roodepoort CBD-based school to detail their version of their conflict with Nyandeni, who has been accused of mismanaging the school.
Read the initial article here
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/11/20/community-protest-in-support-of-suspended-principal/
Wolpe, who announced the dismissal of Nyandeni from the headmaster and director positions, claimed that the former principal faced 13 allegations ranging from various forms of dishonesty, creating a hostile and fearful work environment, breach of fiduciary duty as director, among many …
During a previous Record interview with Nyandeni, she rubbished all the allegations and viewed the quest to fire her as a racist and sexist-driven plot. She also claimed that she was one of the founding directors, and that principals of the school had powers equal to those of directors.
However, Wolpe refuted the claims that she founded the school and viewed the accusation that he was a racist as a mere defence of convenience to evoke an emotional response from the community.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/11/21/gde-is-monitoring-exams-at-tulip-combined-school-web/
“First of all Bob Phato is the person who started the school in 1994, not Nyandeni. She joined a couple of years later (1996) and she eventually became the principal. Years later Phato disappeared and I got involved to try and keep the school afloat. Moreover, the entire school was established as a non-profit company to benefit the broader Roodepoort community,” he explained.
Wolpe, who owns the building the school is using, said he often funded the school from his own pocket to be what it is today. “These desks, chairs, 27 classrooms including two computer and science labs didn’t fall from the sky, I made it happen,” he said.
Nyandeni has last reported for duty on 13 November, which angered the School Governing Body (SGB). The upset community staged a shutdown on the school premises on 20 November.
Uncertainty about the school operating without a principal was put to rest as Wolpe appointed Mr Ndaba to act as the headmaster. He also appointed Fred Boltman to replace Nyandeni as the third director.
Going forward, he said the board will meet with the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) to brief them on the matter.
After the dust has settled, Wolpe said he envisaged a bright and prosperous future for the school, which benefits the broader Roodepoort community.
