SPEAKING at the funeral service of Nomyaca High School’s deputy principal, KZN MEC for Education Peggy Nkonyeni asked the members of the community to protect their teachers and the pupils.
The service, which was characterised by the anger and grief of mourners, was held at Empangeni Civic Centre.
This caused a huge outcry regarding safety in schools, especially that of teachers and pupils.
The government was requested to beef up security by employing more school guards.
Accolades for Mkhwanazi
Speaker after speaker praised Mkhwanazi for being a committed maths teacher, who had never been absent from school over the five years he worked at Nomyaca.
Nomyaca School Principal, FT Biyela heaped accolades on Mkhwanazi saying, ‘Since his arrival at Nomyaca, Mkhwanazi was dedicated to his job, always arriving at school at 7am to conduct his extra maths classes.
‘Our school scored an A in maths, all owing to his love for his school work and pupils,’ said Biyela.
Rampant school murders condemned
KZN HOD for Education, Dr N Sishi said the rampant killing of teachers and school children stabbing each other is a reflection of the sick society we are living in.
‘Such a noble profession has been turned into a profession of criminals.
‘Instead of spending time with our families, every weekend I and the MEC attend funerals of teachers and pupils,’ Sishi added.
Passing her condolences to the bereaved family, Nkonyeni criticised the widespread killings.
‘This is not only an educational problem, but a societal one. We all need to prioritise school safety,’ Nkonyeni said.
She promised on the 9-10 of December the National Education Minister Angie Motsekga will convene an Indaba to find ways to deal with the problem.
