A Grade 10 learner was gunned down at Ndengezi Intermediate School in KwaNdengezi near Pinetown, west of Durban.
Police say the shooter shot the learner as he entered the school gate on Monday morning, before fleeing the scene. The shooting has left the community reeling in shock.
Siphelele Ngubane, 19, left home to get his education, but was gunned down in front of learners as they arrived for school. The killer shot the seemingly unsuspecting learner three times in the head.
Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says, “It is alleged that the victim and the suspect were seen entering the school premises together when the suspect shot the victim several times, and the victim was declared dead at the scene.”
It is believed the killer had disembarked from the same taxi as the victim. He wore school pants and a white shirt, with a mask and a hat covering his face.
The assistant to the local councillor for Ward 12 in the eThekwini Municipality, Mhlabunzima Mpanza, says the incident has heightened their long-standing concern about security at schools.
Mpanza says, “The community is very angry, more especially towards the Department of Education because they have been talking about the safety of the schools, but nothing has happened. So there’s no action that has been taken by the Department of Education.”
The school was unable to commence with teaching and learning, with the provincial Education Department condemning the murder and calling for a speedy arrest of the suspect. The department has also committed to deploying psycho-social support teams to help learners and teachers.
Spokesperson for Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka, Mlungisi Mtshali says, “This incident is a major setback in the work that we have done as a department to bring community leaders and all stakeholders to work together for the protection of learners and the infrastructure in our schools. As a department, we will remain in close contact with the family and the school.”
The School Governing Body refused to comment on the shooting. The victim’s family says they want justice after their son’s murder. Police are still piecing together the motive for the killing, while the suspect remains at large.
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Reporting by: Zanele Buthelezi
