Teaching resumes after killing of teacher

TEACHING resumed yesterday at a Limpopo primary school where a teacher was hacked to death in front of pupils.

Guilfort Shapo, 53, of Mmasehlong Primary School in Polokwane, was monitoring a class last Wednesday when his own brother allegedly burst into the classroom and attacked him with a panga.

A senior official of the Limpopo department of education, Zachariah Mamabolo, said they had temporarily closed the school after the incident .

"We resumed teaching and learning yesterday. We will break up again on Thursday for a memorial service. The funeral will be held on Saturday," Mamabolo said yesterday.

He said the authorities were worried that the incident could affect the performance of pupils since it happened just before the year-end examinations.

He said they had held two prayer sessions at the school last week and had counselling sessions for the traumatised pupils, "especially those who were in the classroom when the incident happened".

Mamabolo said the affected pupils had been moved and they were doing whatever they could to help them forget the incident.

Police reported that Shapo's brother, Johannes , who was arrested soon after the incident, appeared in the Matlala M agistrate's C ourt yesterday on a charge of murder .

Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Ronel Otto said Shapo was refused bail and remanded in custody until his next appearance on January 25 next year.