2015-05-27Staff Report 2 Rundu A teacher at Leevi Hakusembe Secondary School was yesterday granted bail of N$1 000 on a theft charge after more than N$100 000 in hostel fees went missing from the school a week ago. Joseph Kamanya Kandjimi, 33, was arrested last Thursday at the school and he appeared before Magistrate Esme Molefe in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He faces a charge of theft after he failed to safeguard the money paid by learners, who registered to be accommodated in the hostel. New Era understands the money was stolen from the school’s administration block on Wednesday evening, just a day after public schools reopened for the second term. A senior official at the regional education directorate who spoke to New Era yesterday in confidence was perplexed by the incident and questioned why the school opted to keep such a huge amount of money on the school premises instead of banking it seeing that the school is situated only 30 kilometres west of Rundu. Kandjimi also doubles as the school’s hostel superintendent. During his brief court appearance, Kandjimi informed the court that he would apply for legal representation. No other arrests were made. A number of his colleagues led by the school’s principal Alexander Kudhumo were also in attendance during yesterday’s court session. Molefe postponed the case to August 6, 2015, when Kandjimi will be expected to appear in the Kahenge Periodical Court. NamPol’s Regional Commander for Kavango West Commissioner Olavi Auanga yesterday hinted that the theft might have been an inside job. “It seems like a planned thing, there is no way you can keep so much cash. At least we caught them and we will do our best to determine what really happened,” stated Auanga. Auanga said the exact figure is yet to be determined, but said, “it is definitely more than N$100 000”. Although the matter is already the talk of the town since Kandjimi’s arrest, poor co-ordination between education officials in Kavango West has resulted in the regional education leadership gasping for official information from the school’s management, claiming the matter is yet to be officially reported to them. Regional education director Mathaus Naujoma said: “I only heard of the incident, I am still waiting for the official report then I can be able to comment on the matter.” The school’s principal, however, claims that he submitted the report on the incident to the Bunya circuit inspector Keith Sanzila last Thursday. Sanzila denied receiving a report, saying: “I do not have the report, I am still waiting for it from the school principal, he just sent me a notice.” Asked whether the teacher was suspended, Sanzila said the decision to suspend Kandjimi is in the hands of the regional education office. “It will go through my office, I do not see any possibility of suspension at this stage but it is in the hands of the police,” stated the Sanzila. 2015-05-27Staff Report 2
