Katima Mulilo
The principal of Sikaunga Primary School in the Zambezi Region, 55-year-old Alexius Mibonda, has been left disheartened by what he views as an unfair ruling by the Office of the Labour Commissioner in a dispute of unfair labour practice in which he received a ‘wooden handshake’ instead of a golden one.
According to Mibonda, in 2004 he was verbally informed by the Directorate of Education to run Masambo Lower Primary School as an acting principal. He says he acted in that position without remuneration for a period of five years.
Mibonda further stated that he acted as the principal for Masambo school from 2004 to 2008 and that he used his own funds to pay for travelling and food during work visits.
Prior to his appointment Mibonda was employed as the principal of Ndoro Primary School, which is about 10 kilometres from Masambo where he also acted as the principal.
In the arbitration document in possession of New Era, during cross-examination Mibonda stated that he wanted to be paid N$180 000, which is the amount he had needed to run an extra school for five years.
It is stated in the same document that the Zambezi Regional Council indeed appointed Mibonda as principal with extra duties of monitoring Masambo as a satellite school.
he document further reveals that the future of Masambo was not certain at the time, as the communities were still in the process of migrating to Omega III and the school was operating in a temporary structure.
It is further revealed that it was only in 2008 when it was resolved that a permanent structure had to be built, as well as that a principal’s post for Masambo Junior Primary School had to be advertised.
The move to appoint a principal was taken because Mibonda was allegedly not frequently visiting the school and this was confirmed by the school board members and teachers. The Directorate of Education also argued that Mibonda only made 30 official visits to Masambo Lower Primary School during the five-year period that he was the acting principal.
The Labour Commissioner resolved that the Directorate of Education did not follow the correct procedures when it appointed Mibonda as the acting principal. Such power resorts only with the Office of the Prime Minister on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission (PSC).
However, Mibonda being an educated person accepted the arrangement for the period of five years without questioning the conditions attached. The commission also resolved that contrary to the 30 days claimed by the directorate as official visits conducted by Mibonda to the school and the circuit office, it observed that during the period Mibonda ran the school he undertook 56 official visits and he should be paid subsistence and travel allowance and transport costs for those days.
The commission further resolved that Mibonda failed to submit any proof to the use of his own resources for public interest. And his N$180 000 claim as remedy is not justified as there was no documentary proof submitted before the tribunal. Following this resolution Mibonda was paid N$15 553 by the Directorate of Education which he says is humiliating. “I was humiliated, there is no fairness and justice in that decision – N$15 000 is an annual salary equal to that of a domestic worker,” stated Mibonda.