11 December 2007

The IFP welcomes the speedy and tough verdict delivered at Pongola today that condemns the murderers of two female teachers at Hlokohloko Primary School in Jozini, Philile Mthenjana and Phindile Ntuli. The teachers 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. 

“The IFP welcomes the verdict that amounts to an effective life sentence for all perpetrators involved in the double murder. We are most impressed with the speed of the judicial process in this case,” said IFP provincial spokesperson Blessed Gwala MPP, who is also related to both mothers – Buyelaphi Ntuli and Siphiwe Mthenjana - of the murdered teachers. 

The IFP was outraged at the time the brutal murders took place by the complacency of the police and the reckless attitude of the provincial Department of Education which abdicated all responsibility in the tragedy. 

The IFP was sad to note at the time 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 was 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. It fell to the IFP to take up the discrepancies in the police investigation in Parliament,” said Gwala. 

The IFP extends its condolences to the families of the victims to whom the verdict, the party hopes, brings some form of closure. 

Contact: Blessed Gwala
078 690 5777