DURBAN - KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu has condemned the “cowardice murdering” of a principal of Maria Trost Junior Primary School in the Ugu District, and his wife.
The school principal Gugulethu Earnest Sijadu, 55, and his wife 45-year-old Thembelihle were shot and killed by unknown gunmen in their home in the Dunuse area in St Faiths, on Saturday.
It is alleged that at about 22.10pm, the unknown suspects entered the house through a window and opened fire on the couple. They sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were declared dead at the scene.
Mshengu said: “The teaching profession is a noble one that must be protected and respected at all times. As we sympathise with their loved ones, we equally pray to God to grant everyone the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
The MEC urged the police and other security agencies to ensure that the culprits were apprehended through a speedy investigation, and all brought to justice.
He further called on the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said the motive for the killing was unknown, adding that St Faith’s police were investigating charges of murder.
These murders follow an incident at Dassenhoek High School in Pinetown, where four pupils were stabbed during an armed robbery two weeks ago.
Three suspects had gained entry to the school by breaking through a fence. The learners were assaulted and robbed of their cellphones and cash. There was an altercation that led to some of them being stabbed.
In Gauteng, a female teacher, whom the Gauteng Department of Education identified as Thembisile Ngendane, was gunned down in the school driveway on January 18.
These brutal attacks led to Mshengu saying: “It is becoming very risky to be a teacher these days.”
The MEC is expected to visit the Pinetown District, as schools across the province welcome their full complement of pupils on Monday.
Daily News