Pupils pay tribute to slain 'amazing' deputy principal

Lesufi condemn the killing of the educator

24 January 2022 - 12:14

Phomolong secondary school pupils place candles and hand-written cards on the spot where their deputy principal Thembisile Ngendane was shot dead on Friday.
Image: Yoliswa Sobuwa

“Once in a lifetime, I got to meet an amazing teacher like you.” And “We laughed, learned and got motivated by you.”

These are some of the tributes for slain educator Thembisile Ngendane by pupils at Phomolong Secondary School in Tembisa, on the East Rand.

Ngendane, 50, was gunned down by three men outside the school on Friday.

On Monday, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited the school.

Pupils could be seen carrying candles and balloons written RIP (rest in peace). Flowers have been placed at the school's gate where she took her last breath.

A group of parents sang church hymns in the school hall.

Lesufi said when he received the bad news on Friday, he felt numb.

@EducationGP1 MEC @Lesufi says police task team have been assigned to track Thembisile Ngendane's killers within 72 hours @SowetanLIVE pic.twitter.com/rePwmRh1tT
— Yoliswa Sobuwa (@YoliswaSobuwa) January 24, 2022

“South Africans don't understand what it takes to prepare a good teacher or the role our educators are playing to nurture our children. I felt I need to come to you educators and to be in the same space and same room with you to express how deeply hurt we are.

“It can't be business as usual when a deputy principal has been killed, especially because you don't even know if you are safe.

“Police have assigned a task team to track the perpetrators within 72 hours,” Lesufi said.