THE director of Vulindlela Orphanage Care Centre in Mpopoma, Bulawayo, was on Monday convicted and fined $100 for operating a private college from within the premises of the orphanage. LINDA CHINOBVA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Patricia Tshabalala (58) was convicted on her own plea of guilty when she appeared before West Commonage magistrate Willard Moyo facing charges of operating a college without registration.
Moyo ordered her to pay $100 or spend three months in prison. She was also ordered to shut the college down. It was the State’s case that the Primary and Secondary Education ministry represented by Bulawayo provincial education director Dan Moyo established that Tshabalala was operating the college without registration.
The court heard that on March 13 the ministry went on a non-formal visit to Vulindlela Orphanage Care Centre and discovered that it was operating as a college with an enrolment of about 100 students.
The inspection discovered that Tshabalala had recruited the students in September 2013 and started operations without registration.
She was served with papers to immediately cease operations in March and on June 4, but failed to comply, resulting in the ministry bringing her before the court.
