Man drags school to court for expelling daughter

A Harare man has made an urgent chamber application contesting Gateway High School's decision to withdraw his daughter from the institution for non-payment of school fees arrears amounting to $14 000.

In the application filed at the High Court on January 9, David Tapera Mabuwa cited Gateway and its head as the respondents.

Mabuwa claimed that Gateway had disregarded a payment plan and withdrew the child before barring her from attending school.

In an email addressed to Mabuwa, the school head said: "My decision remains unchanged; your daughter's place at Gateway School has been withdrawn until fees arrears have been cleared."

On December 19, last year, Mabuwa signed a payment plan with Equals (Pvt) Ltd — the debt collecting company for Gateway.

He disputes the outstanding debt.

"Above all the long outstanding arrears by the applicant are in dispute hence it is premature for the school to terminate Mabuwa's daughter's place with the school," said Mabuwa's lawyers, Bothwell Ndlovu Attorneys-at-Law.

He added that the situation had traumatised his daughter who was preparing for her final Upper Sixth examinations.

"My daughter's preparation for her Upper Sixth studies has been unjustifiably disturbed and the agreement between the school and me for the payment of the current fees and disputed arrears is still valid," Mabuwa said in an affidavit attached to the application.

"I therefore apply that this honourable court treats my matter as of urgent need, intervene and deal with the head's brutal and barbaric approach.

"In any event I am the one who is in arrears thus the school head should not make my daughter as the battlefield..."