Following the sudden transfer of Bahai High School Headteacher Audrey Mhlongo to Hermann Gmeiner (SOS) High School by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), the Baha’i School Board wants a forensic audit commissioned.
In a letter written yesterday by the School’s Grantee Thoko Ngubeni to the Hhohho Regional Education Officer, the board claimed there were actions that led to Mhlongo’s conduct at the school being described as dishonest, fraudulent, corrupt and criminal.
Ngubeni claimed that gross financial mismanagement that had prevailed at the school since the introduction of the school committee was among the reasons why the board applied for privatisation. She then requested that a forensic audit be done so as to establish whether there were any other incidents of a similar nature allegedly occasioned by Mhlongo during her tenure as headteacher at the school.
Ngubeni said the board would also be registering a criminal complaint against Mhlongo for her alleged transgressions.
The board also attached a letter from PC Systems for the ministry’s reference, stating that the correspondence was received after Mhlongo allegedly furnished a fraudulent quotation to the school committee for the purchase of 25 laptops. After conducting due diligence, it was discovered that the quotation provided by Mhlongo was allegedly forged and inflated to an amount of E570 000.
She stated that PC Systems, through the enclosed letter, confirmed the matter and provided an authentic quotation valuing the laptops at E203 000.
Ngubeni said as a result of the alleged fraudulent quotation, the school committee was induced into depositing an amount of E250 000 to Zappy Investments as part payment for the laptops, despite the fact that consensus had not yet been reached by the committee on which entity would supply the equipment.
Ngubeni added that the situation was compounded by several instances where teachers and support staff at the school were not paid on time, while the Cost of Living Adjustment (CoLA) and the 2025 salary review had not been implemented.
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She further stated that the school still had outstanding debts, including obligations to the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS), yet Mhlongo was allegedly inducing inflated payments for the laptops.
Adding, Ngubeni also indicated that in a correspondence dated February 9, 2024, it had highlighted various acts of misconduct allegedly committed by Mhlongo, including the forging of a letter and the fraudulent awarding of a tender to Devito Construction in the amount of E141 570.
Ngubeni stated that the response received from the TSC at the time was that the matter had been referred to the Schools Manager (US). However, nearly two years later, nothing had been done to investigate the allegations or to hold Mhlongo accountable.
The board urged the ministry not to turn a blind eye to what it described as serious acts of misconduct and expressed hope that the matter would be treated with the level of seriousness it warranted.
Ngubeni further clarified that while the board welcomed Mhlongo’s transfer, it was taken aback that the decision had not been formally communicated to it, either by the ministry or by the school committee. She noted that in previous years, when such decisions were taken, the board was directly consulted, owing to its ownership of Setsembiso Sebunye High School.
She said such consultations enabled the board, among other things, to facilitate the seamless process of identifying a suitable replacement in anticipation of a vacancy, whether for a headteacher or any other teacher or staff member placed at the school by the TSC and/or the Ministry.
Ngubeni added that consultations also allowed the board to appoint an interim replacement to act in the position of headteacher pending the appointment of a suitable permanent candidate.
“The consultations would enable the Board to address any maleficence occasioned by the outgoing individual during his or her tenure at the school. The abrupt transfer of Mhlongo and the lack of consultation with the Board has caused a state of confusion and uncertainty within the school,” reads the letter.
She further stated that the board would commence the process of appointing an acting headteacher to assume Mhlongo’s duties in the interim period, while efforts were underway to identify and appoint a permanent headteacher who adhered to the teachings of the Baha’i faith.
“We undertake to keep you abreast of all developments in this regard,” the letter stated.
The board also noted that the 2026 academic year had already commenced, and therefore there was urgency in restoring order at the school and minimising the impact that Mhlongo’s vacancy might have on operations, particularly the learning process.
On that note, Mhlongo said she had nothing to hide and the Board could continue with the forensic audit. She further stated that she was engaged by TSC on her transfer to SOS.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training Naniki Mnisi said she had not received the letter by the close of business yesterday and was unaware of any formal concerns from Bahai schools.
However, she stated that on the matter at hand, the employer remained the employer, and any arrangements with mission schools were not policy or statutory requirements but rather arrangements that could be set aside when the ministry and the TSC deemed it appropriate to do so.
Mnisi explained that the Teaching Service Commission, in terms of Section 187 of the Constitution, was mandated by law to employ, transfer, deploy, redeploy, discipline and appoint teachers in the Kingdom. She emphasised that no other body had such authority when it came to teachers.
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She said the commission had exercised its mandate in transferring Mhlongo, noting that she (PS) had no issue with the decision as the immediate supervisor, as she had been consulted. She added that Mhlongo had also been consulted and had accepted the transfer.
Mnisi stated that the arrangement with mission schools was that a mission may recommend, while the commission retained the authority to approve or decline such recommendations.
“In this instance, we are exercising the right of the TSC. Whether the mission is happy or not, it does not have authority vested in law. There is nothing wrong with the commission transferring anyone in this country, and the only people consulted are the principal secretary, as the supervisor of headteachers, and the teacher concerned.
“There are more headteachers that we have transferred,” she said.
