Parliament’s select committee on education, technology and the creative industries has condemned the brazen shooting of a school principal in front of teachers and pupils in the Eastern Cape.
The principal of Zakhele primary school at KwaBhaca in the Alfred Nzo West district was killed on the premises by a lone gunman on Wednesday.
Provincial education MEC Fundile Gade said the shooter escaped on foot into a nearby forest.
Gade said in a separate incident, a group of thugs stormed the home of a nurse from the Efata School for the Blind in Mthatha and demanded payment of R50,000. The nurse refused and was robbed of his phone, laptop and television.
“The same criminals sent a short message (sms) to the principal demanding the same ransom. A case of extortion has been opened with the police and an investigation is under way,” said the MEC.
Select committee chairperson Makhi Feni, speaking about the latest shooting, said: “This is unacceptable. This is such an abhorrent violent act accompanied by selfishness. This points to a failure of the security system … This thug should be found and prosecuted.”
Zakhele primary’s school governing body (SGB) will on Monday meet social workers, counsellor teachers, pupils and the principal’s family.
Gade said such incidents opened the government up to the threat of litigation if employees could be killed like that at work.
“The security and justice cluster must appreciate the dire long-term effects of this scourge. We need to go back to the drawing board, review the existing strategy and execution plan for us to yield different results,” urged Gade.
Police are investigating both cases. Arrests are yet to be made.
TimesLIVE sister publication HeraldLIVE reported on Friday that Life Mercantile Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay issued a warning to staff during the week, confirming its doctors were being targeted by extortion gangs demanding payments of R5,000 or more. The doctors received phone calls from an alleged hitman.
TimesLIVE
TIMESLIVE
www.timeslive.co.za
