The Inxiweni Primary School community in Tembisa is in mourning after its principal and an administrative staff member were shot and killed on school grounds yesterday afternoon.
The shooting occurred inside the school’s administrative block at approximately 5:00 PM. According to the Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson, who was on the scene, other staff members present at the time heard gunshots and hid in different rooms within the same block. After the assailants had left, they discovered their two colleagues fatally wounded.
Emergency services were called and attempted to save the victims, but they were pronounced dead by approximately 8:00 PM.
The Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and the Provincial Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, visited the school in the wake of the tragedy.
A somber atmosphere enveloped the school, with children and teachers seen crying. The department confirmed that psychosocial support services were being provided to learners and staff affected by the incident.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown, and the spokesperson for the Education Department confirmed that the matter is now in the hands of the police. He stated that CCTV footage from the school is available and will form a part of the active investigation to determine how the perpetrators gained access to the school.
In response to the tragedy, teaching and learning have been temporarily disrupted. The spokesperson indicated that assessments scheduled for today and tomorrow would be postponed, with the school management working to recover the lost academic time, potentially by Friday and Monday.
While the investigation continues, the school community and the families of the deceased are left seeking answers to a senseless act of violence that has shattered the normalcy of a place of learning.