28 January 2026
Parents of children at Bulelani High School outside Komani in the Eastern Cape protested last week, demanding the removal of the principal. Photo: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
Parents at Bulelani High School outside Komani in the Eastern Cape say they will protest until the school principal is fired.
Principal Zine May was suspended towards the end of 2024 following allegations of misuse of school funds. An acting principal was appointed.
But, said parent Pumza Kalipa, May returned to the school during the 2025 end-of-year exams, without any explanation from the department.
“We contacted the department and officials came to the school. We were told that May was found guilty of misconduct and had served her punishment, which is why she returned,” she said.
“As parents, we made it very clear that we do not want her back at our school.We have been complaining about her since 2018,” she said.
On Monday 19 January parents staged a protest, disrupting classes and burning rubbish, demanding May’s removal. Kalipa said this followed the department’s failure to respond to a petition sent by parents last November.
The protest ended on Wednesday 21 January after the department agreed to temporarily remove May.
Eastern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima did not respond to questions about the investigation into May’s conduct. But he said parents had “asked the department to keep the principal at the district offices until the matter is resolved”.
On Tuesday 27 January department officials came to the school to address parents. May was not present. Parents said they did not want her back.
Nkosinathi Godlo, Chris Hani East District Director, told parents that they had decided to keep May away from the school until the matter is resolved. He confirmed that she had been found guilty of misusing school funds and said she had been fined. Godlo did not disclose the amount.
Parent Sandile Mthandeki said parents had taken a decision not to allow her back to their school.
“There’s no relationship between us parents and her,” he said.
The meeting, which lasted close to four hours, ended after Godlo assured parents that the matter was being attended to and that an acting principal would be appointed in the meantime.
Asked for comment, May asked GroundUp to contact her next week. She said tomorrow is her birthday and she just wanted to enjoy her day and not waste time commenting on schemes or plots against her.