AS a non-executive director of Ed-U College Port Elizabeth, I found Jeremy Lobb's letter, "School's money 'scam'" (February 4) intriguing. He purports to know a lot about the affairs of this school, but absolutely nothing raised in his letter is factually correct (I incidentally have never met him in the 19 years of my involvement in the school).
That includes his claim that he knows "for a fact" the reason for five staff members not returning.
Notwithstanding his misperception of the facts, I question his right to arrive at his conclusion of "where has all the money gone?", albeit based on a four-line business model with totally incorrect facts and figures. I do not question the right of The Herald to place this letter, even if only for its entertainment value.
What concerns me, however, is the heading of this letter which was ostensibly chosen by The Herald editorial staff. Nowhere in the letter itself is the word "scam" used and, reading the letter carefully, Lobb is not explicitly suggesting a "scam", a word that your reasonable reader associates with the deliberate swindling of money out of people under false pretences.
I therefore find this heading nothing less than defamatory.
I also believe the current pupils, parents and (remaining) hard-working and dedicated teachers of this school as well as the more than 30000 pupils who have attended this institution over all these years will not only find it defamatory but insulting, and designed to damage the credibility and reputation of Ed-U College PE.
Le Roux Niemann, non-executive director, Ed-U College Port Elizabeth
Letters
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