Dale College headmaster placed on precautionary suspension

Dale College headmaster Craig Hatches has been suspended after a string of allegations, including that cash from school fundraising events had been delivered to his home during a private party. Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed Hatches’ precautionary suspension on Wednesday. The prestigious Qonce all-boys school’s governing body, or SGB, chair Morris Xaba told IOL: “I can confirm that the headmaster has been placed on precautionary suspension.

“For any other details and comments, the education department is better placed to comment.” The suspension followed a governance report submitted to the department by the SGB which raised several concerns about how the historic school,founded in 1861,had been run. According to the report, seen by IOL, the school’s finances had come under pressure after savings meant to keep the school stable had repeatedly been used to pay staff salaries. The report, compiled by ex-SGB chairMpumelelo Madikane,said the school’s reserve funds had dropped to below about R4m after money had been used to keep the payroll running.

“The school and hostel are dependent on school fees and hostel fees,” the report said. “This indicates the existence of material uncertainty due to the poor collection of these fees that may cast significant doubt on the school and hostel’s ability to continue as a going concern. “Of particular concern is that the school had to utilise reserve funds to meet January 2025 payroll obligations.

[paywall]

“Standard financial practice recommends maintaining a reserve of approximately R4m for emergencies, which was not the case at the time of payroll execution. “There has been reliance on reserve funds to pay staff in January 2025, depleting savings that should ideally remain at R4m.”

[/paywall]