Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Senzo Mchunu has condemned the shooting of a high school teacher in Nongoma, who was killed on Wednesday evening.
"We are deeply shocked that in this day and age, there are people who still believe the only solution to whatever problem is through the barrel of a gun," Mchunu said on Thursday.
According to the police report, Enock Nkosi, a teacher at Meyama High School in Nongoma in the Northern Zululand, was traveling with three people in his car from Nongoma town around 6pm, when they were overtaken by another vehicle whose occupants immediately opened fire.
Nkosi, who was driving, sustained two gunshot wounds to the head and the chest, the car veered off the road and landed in a nearby homestead.
The three occupants escaped with minor injuries and reported the matter to the police, who immediately dispatched personnel vehicles in search of the suspects.
Four people, including the school principal and HOD at Meyama, have been arrested following the incident and are being held in custody after police manhunt shortly after the shooting.
"It is common knowledge that Nongoma was the scene of many senseless killings and we had hoped that painful past was behind us. The timing of this murder couldn't have come at a [worse] moment when learners throughout the country are gearing and busy with their final year exams," said a concerned Mchunu.
He said the department would make available counselling services to both children and educators at Meyama, who are in a state of shock.
Expressing his condolences to the Nkosi's family, relatives and friends, Mchunu appealed to the family and community to allow the law take its course.
Mchunu further expressed his gratitude to the Nongoma police officers for proving that their presence in the area was for the safety of the community.
"This is a sign that indeed our police personnel are there to serve their communities with integrity."
