Employee sues education ministry for exploitation
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Wednesday March 29, 2017 14:59
Wanatsha Kwadibe, who is employed as a Principal Adult Educator at the Department of Out of School Education and Training, has laid a claim of P233,220. 75, which she says, is money owed to her from September 2011 to July 2015 after she was assigned tasks of a person in the position of Principal Adult Education Officer II.
In her filing affidavit through her legal representatives, the plaintiff demands to be paid the sum with a 10% interest rate charge post judgement and the defendant to pay costs of suit.
According to court papers, the ministry employed the plaintiff in July 2011 as Principal Adult Educator (C1 Grade) in Kgatleng Region but assigned new tasks best suited for a Principal Adult Education Officer II effective September 2011.
Her new duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to monitoring and evaluating Out of School Education programmes, interpreting and implementing out of school education policies, co-ordinating external examinations, compiling reports of out of school education programmes in the district, selecting and requesting supplementary materials and supervising district staff.
Her lawyers argue that the responsibilities, which were assigned their client on September 2011, are much higher than those under which she falls. They note that the plaintiff has on several occasions written letters to the then ministry’s permanent secretary as well as former director (regional operations: Kgatleng Region) Sir Wonder Masebola but to no avail.
They argue that government has been unduly enriched due the discrepancies.
“The defendant is therefore liable to plaintiff in the sum of P233,220.75 and despite lawful, the defendant has failed and/or neglected to make payment of the said amount or any part thereof.”
In his answering affidavit for the defendant, Masebola has prayed that the plaintiff’s action be dismissed with costs and denied being liable. The defendant has denied that the plaintiff is entitled as she is performing duties belonging to a person in the position of Principal Adult Educator.
Masebola argued that during his time as the appointing authority in the Kgatleng Region responsible for making first appointments and acting appointments up to D1 level, he has not assigned the plaintiff nor appointed her on acting purposes to any senior position.
“I deny ever assigning the plaintiff nor appointing her on acting purposes to any senior position. There was and there is still no vacant post for the post, which she alleges that she is acting for in Kgatleng region and in her unit, which warrants acting for. It is denied that the plaintiff is entitled to any amount as alleged by the plaintiff,” he said.
The matter is scheduled for April 4 and will be presided by Gaborone High Court judge Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe.