Victor Hlungwani

Victor Hlungwani

The Giyani magistrate's court has found the director of Rivoningo Combined School in Giyani guilty of assaulting the school's principal and sentenced her to four months imprisonment or a R1000 fine.

The assault took place in full view of pupils and teachers of the private school in March.

Cecilia Coleman, 45, the director and founder member of the school, assaulted principal Crytion Mashaba with a broom on the forehead.

Mashaba managed to escape after pupils had intervened.

Vongani Mathebula, a teacher who also witnessed the incident, claimed that Coleman was very abusive, especially towards black people.

"It was during the break when I saw the principal being beaten up in full view of the pupils, with Coleman shouting at Mashaba to come out of the office.

"We managed to rescue the principal after angry pupils started shouting at the director of the school," Mathebula said.

Apparently the problem started after Coleman tried to sell the school for R1,6million in January without informing the other trustees, including Mashaba.

Things turned sour after a bank, which was supposed to finance the purchase, established that the school had no title deed to the land, and that the land on which the it was built was the subject of a land claim by Siyandhani community.

Mashaba said he welcomed the conviction and sentence imposed on Coleman, but said his integrity among his colleagues and pupils has been lowered.

Coleman is no stranger to controversy and being on the wrong side of the law.

Last year she was arrested after she assaulted black traffic officers on the road between Giyani and Malamulele.

She pleaded guilty to charges of assault and paid a R600 admission of guilt fine.