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Education Dept Mum over Murdered Teachers
April 4, 2007
The IFP has been outraged by the recent brutal murder of two
Jozini primary school teachers as much as it has condemned the
provincial Department of Education for abdicating all
responsibility in the tragedy.
Two female teachers at Hlokohloko Primary School in Jozini,
Philile Mthenjana and Phindile Ntuli, were abducted and shot
execution-style in the bush where their bodies were later
recovered. Both teachers were members of the National Teachers'
Union (NATU) and the IFP.
"This is an unspeakable act of cruelty. The IFP has struggled to
find words to express its outrage and condemnation, both at the
brutal murder of two females and the cold shoulder this case has
been given by the authorities," said IFP Chief Whip in the
KwaZulu Natal Provincial Parliament Henry Combrinck MPP.
The IFP is sad to note that the local police approached the
investigation with indifference and NATU had to resort to a
private investigation which yielded the names of three culprits,
including the school's Principal Anton Mathenjwa who is a member
of NATU's rival and COSATU-aligned South African Democratic
Teachers' Union (SADTU).
"The Department of Education consistently ignored the tragedy
and its impact on the Hlokohloko Primary and the Jozini
community. The department never reacted when the teachers were
first reported missing, nor did any of its representatives
attend the victims' funeral," said Combrinck.
Nothing, according to the IFP, illustrates the department's
double standards better than the aftermath of a violent incident
in a Pinetown school where a pupil recently stabbed a teacher.
In the aftermath of the tragedy the department dispatched a team
of psychologists to counsel the traumatised pupils and staff.
"It is a pity that the pupils and staff at Hlokohloko Primary
School in Jozini did not receive the same treatment. It appears
that the department's emphasis on school safety varies according
to the political affiliation of victims and perpetrators of
violence in our schools," said Combrinck.
Contact: Henry Combrinck
082 576 7255 |
