School Principal Fired for Taking R422,936 Without Proof
A former school principal in Johannesburg has lost her fight to get her job back. She was fired for taking R422,936 from the school bank account without any proper documents to show what the money was used for.
What happened?
The principal, Selinah Moloi, was in charge of Montshiwa Primary School. She had the school bank card from January 2023 to June 2024. During that time, she took out R422,936 in cash without approval. There were no receipts or invoices to explain where the money went.
She also took out R512,240 in cash, which was much more than the allowed yearly limit of R36,000 for petty cash.
The investigation
The Gauteng education department asked an accountant to look into the school's money. The accountant found that only R89,303 had proper documents. For R422,936, there were no papers at all.
The principal said the money was used to pay workers who fixed things at the school, and for parties and trips. But she could not show any invoices, contracts, or approval from the school governing body.
What the Labour Council said
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) said the principal was responsible for knowing the rules. She said she did not know about the limit on cash withdrawals, but the arbitrator said that as a principal she should have known.
The council decided that because there were no documents, the principal could not prove the money was used for the school. Her dismissal was fair.
What this means for you
- Always keep receipts and records for any money you spend at work.
- Know the rules and policies of your job, especially if you handle money.
- If you are a manager, you are expected to follow the rules even if you say you did not know them.
This article was originally published on TimesLIVE.
