Concerned parents and guardians at Kumalo Primary School in Bulawayo are pressing for immediate action from education authorities following the continued presence of the school’s headmistress, Stella Mhlanga, despite facing serious allegations of financial misconduct.
Mhlanga and four other staff members were arrested on 14 April 2025 after a government audit—prompted by concerns raised by the School Development Committee (SDC)—uncovered alleged embezzlement of school funds. The financial discrepancies were first flagged in February, leading to the probe.
Although charges have been laid and bail proceedings are scheduled for 28 May 2025, Mhlanga remains in her role, sparking frustration among parents who say her continued leadership undermines accountability.
“It’s unacceptable that someone facing such serious accusations is still running the school,” said one parent, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. “She should have been suspended pending the outcome of the case.”
Another parent echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of transparency and ethical leadership in education.
“It sends the wrong message to pupils and the community. We expect better from those entrusted with our children’s learning,” the parent said.
Bulawayo’s Provincial Education Director, Bernard Mazambani, confirmed that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has initiated disciplinary action.
“We are conducting our own internal investigations, separate from the criminal process. In fact, there are two cases underway. One involves charges already laid against Mhlanga, and the other concerns financial mismanagement reported by the SDC,” he explained.
Mazambani noted that the province had recommended Mhlanga’s suspension during the investigation. However, the final decision was reversed by higher authorities within the Ministry. He added that an investigation team from Matabeleland North recently visited the school and met with the SDC and staff linked to the case—Mhlanga did not attend that meeting.
This is not Mhlanga’s first brush with controversy. In August 2024, she was suspended and replaced by deputy head Eneles Sibanda while disciplinary hearings were pending. Oddly, she was reinstated on 4 September 2024, even before the initial suspension period ended. Her scheduled hearing on 29 August was never held after the presiding official, Lameck Mudyiwa, failed to appear.
Further back, in 2021, Mhlanga drew national attention when an explicit photo believed to be of her appeared on her WhatsApp status. Though she quickly deleted the image, it had already been widely circulated. Following a police probe, she was arrested and her Samsung Galaxy Note (model N910F) was examined by cybercrime experts in Bulawayo, who found four pornographic images on the device.
She was charged under Section 26 of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act [Chapter 10:04], which deals with the possession of prohibited content. However, she was acquitted in April 2022, after arguing that the phone previously belonged to her sister in South Africa and had been reset before she received it. Magistrate Marygold Ndlovu ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case.
Despite this acquittal, the string of controversies has led to renewed calls for accountability, with many parents now urging the Ministry to act swiftly and decisively in the interest of transparency and restoring trust in school leadership.
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