The tension between a teacher and the principal of the Mawela primary school of Sereni village in the Masakona is threatening to disrupt school activities.

The teacher, Mrs Naomi Mashamba, and the principal of the school, Mr Phineas Makwapa, do not see eye to eye and Mashamba has opted not to go to school any more, abandoning her classes. The pupils continue to suffer without anyone to teach them as a result of this conflict.

Mashamba (54), a grade 7 teacher, contacted Mirror for assistance on Monday, claiming that her school principal, Makwapa, had fired her. She said the animosity between her and Makwapa started some 16 years ago after she was appointed at the school. According to Mashamba, she ended up abandoning her classes because the principal told her that he didn’t want to see her at the school any more.

“He told me I was no longer wanted at the school, although I was never given any letter of dismissal or a warning, for that matter. I don’t know what to do because I reported the matter to the circuit manager, who only promised that he would conduct some investigations,” she said.

Mashamba added that the circuit manager was aware of her problem and he even promised to transfer her to another school, which he did not do.

She said that sometimes money was being deducted from her salary without her being notified and when she made enquiries, the principal told her that it was because of her absenteeism, which she did not know about. “I go to school every day, but according to the principal’s records, I am always absent. He is abusing me emotionally and I can’t stand it anymore. Serious interventions need to be made, so that I can at least be given a transfer to work somewhere else,” she appeals.

On Tuesday, the principal of the school, Mr Phineas Kwapa, stated that the matter only concerned wild allegations. He confirmed that Ms Mashamba was not coming to school. "She has just stopped coming to school, without any notice," he said. He said he could not comment further on the matter as he might be seen as defending himself. Kwapa referred the newspaper to his circuit manager.

Contacted for comment, the circuit manager for Hlanganani North, Mr Falaza Baloyi confirmed that he was aware of the fighting between the two. Baloyi, who started working as a circuit manager in February this year, said that he only learnt about the fighting through records that are in his office. These indicate that a meeting was held in 2009, where the two reconciled. According to the information provided, the labour unit within the department allegedly intervened and the two then reconciled.

"I had called the two to my office, but according to Makwapa, he did not fire Mashamba. I am currently conducting investigations into the matter," he said.