Two children were caught in the cross-fire when a teacher who serves as a councillor in the KwaZulu-Natal municipality was murdered during a lesson in front of his pupils. One‚ a Grade 6 pupil‚ died and a second was wounded.
This is according to the SA Democratic Teachers Union‚ which expressed sadness at “the brutal assassination of our long-standing member and outstanding leader”‚ Vusi Ntombela.
Ntombela‚ a deputy principal of Luvisi Primary School at Nquthu‚ was also a councillor who served as Speaker of the Nquthu local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
He was allegedly shot “at point blank range while teaching in full view of learners by unknown assailants‚” Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said in a statement.
Three suspects have been arrested by police.
Sadtu‚ in its statement‚ said: “We are short of words to describe the devastation young citizens of our country and the educators have found themselves in when this painful episode unfolded right in their eyes. We are equally disturbed by the fact that these barbaric murders have no respect for an institution of learning which primarily should prepare the nation for the future. There is certainly no reason to justify this barbaric action in our lifetime”.
The union called on the department of education to provide schools with security guards.
Dube-Ncube‚ expressing shock at the shooting‚ said: “It is incidents such as this heinous crime that remind us that crime and violence remains a grave challenge in our communities and that as society we need galvanise each other’s strength to isolate the criminal elements that threaten social cohesion and harmony in our communities“.
“We do not know the cause and the motive. We are‚ however‚ worried that the killing of councillors is becoming a disturbing trend‚ noting that it is not happening for the first time‚” said Dube-Ncube.
“If this cowardly use of violence was carried out with the intention to subvert the will of the people it will not succeed.”
Last month‚ the Sunday Times reported that the ANC’s top leadership had laid down the law to its fractious KwaZulu-Natal structure‚ which has been torn by feuding and suspected assassination plots.
This came after Thulani Mashaba‚ the chairman of the ANC’s second-biggest region in the province‚ survived an alleged assassination attempt.
Teacher‚ pupil slain in school attack
Two children were caught in the cross-fire when a teacher who serves as a councillor in the KwaZulu-Natal municipality was murdered during a lesson in front of his pupils. One‚ a Grade 6 pupil‚ died and a second was wounded.
This is according to the SA Democratic Teachers Union‚ which expressed sadness at “the brutal assassination of our long-standing member and outstanding leader”‚ Vusi Ntombela.
Ntombela‚ a deputy principal of Luvisi Primary School at Nquthu‚ was also a councillor who served as Speaker of the Nquthu local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
He was allegedly shot “at point blank range while teaching in full view of learners by unknown assailants‚” Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said in a statement.
Three suspects have been arrested by police.
Sadtu‚ in its statement‚ said: “We are short of words to describe the devastation young citizens of our country and the educators have found themselves in when this painful episode unfolded right in their eyes. We are equally disturbed by the fact that these barbaric murders have no respect for an institution of learning which primarily should prepare the nation for the future. There is certainly no reason to justify this barbaric action in our lifetime”.
The union called on the department of education to provide schools with security guards.
Dube-Ncube‚ expressing shock at the shooting‚ said: “It is incidents such as this heinous crime that remind us that crime and violence remains a grave challenge in our communities and that as society we need galvanise each other’s strength to isolate the criminal elements that threaten social cohesion and harmony in our communities“.
“We do not know the cause and the motive. We are‚ however‚ worried that the killing of councillors is becoming a disturbing trend‚ noting that it is not happening for the first time‚” said Dube-Ncube.
“If this cowardly use of violence was carried out with the intention to subvert the will of the people it will not succeed.”
Last month‚ the Sunday Times reported that the ANC’s top leadership had laid down the law to its fractious KwaZulu-Natal structure‚ which has been torn by feuding and suspected assassination plots.
This came after Thulani Mashaba‚ the chairman of the ANC’s second-biggest region in the province‚ survived an alleged assassination attempt.
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