The Ntabankulu Primary School shooting which claimed the lives of three teachers has sparked a firestorm of controversy, with some community members defending the actions of the dismissed deputy principal who gunned the women down.
The shooter, Ntuthuzelo Gcaba, 51, took his own life after the attack, sparking a heated debate on social media, with the incident exposing deep-seated issues within the school.
While some are outraged by the senseless violence, others sympathise with the shooter’s perceived grievances, going as far as saying “he has killed fewer teachers instead of having killed all the 23 teachers at the school”.
Some of the teachers, including school principal Mbuyiselo Gono, who the shooter allegedly wanted to kill, consequently fear for their lives and are considering resigning and leaving the school.
The implied threats have left teachers traumatised.
The shooting victims included Nontombizonke Nonkondlo, 52, a state witness in a sexual assault case against Gcaba.
The others are Nolumanyano Nonyameko Matanzima, 64, and Buyiswa Nkqayi-Diko, 52. Matanzima was due to retire in June.
The school has 1,011 pupils and 23 teachers.
During the funeral of Nonkondlo at Magqagqeni village in Ntabankulu on Saturday, tears rolled down the face of the school principal.
He appealed to the education department to speed up security upgrades at the school, especially following the threats on social media.
“The department seem to be moving slowly and our lives are at stake.
“We urge all other sectors to also intervene to ensure that the lives of teachers and learners are safe at school, and nothing like this or worse happens at this school again,” Gono said.
“Though we say we would all rather be killed doing our work, doing what the three teachers died for, our families on the other side are worried.
“They want us to go home still alive, rather than in body bags and coffins.”
Nonkondlo’s husband, Khanyiso, said it was hurtful and disgusting that there were people on social media peddling lies about the dead teachers, including that they had conspired against the shooter.
“But now we have leant to ignore the posts and focus on the good work my wife has died doing,” he said.
The education department’s Alfred Nzo West deputy director, Loyiso Mashoai, urged people to “stop being mischievous and aligned the killing with the matter regarding the position of deputy principal”.
“These are two different things,” he said.
Others did not mention the social media posts, but glorified the actions of Gcaba, some calling him a hero.
Ntabankulu mayor and ANC Alfred Nzo district regional chair Tsileng Sobuthongo strongly condemned the posts.
“The debate rages on social media, with some blaming the school’s management and others condemning the violence.
“The incident has raised urgent questions about the pressures faced by educators and the spread of toxic narratives.
“Such actions show a sick society,” Sobuthongo said.“The tragic killing of three innocent teachers has sparked outrage and disgust.
“A dismissed deputy principal, driven by a twisted sense of revenge, took the lives of three dedicated educators before ending his own.
“What is sickening is that some people are trying to justify or even glorify his actions, citing conspiracies. This is a sign of of a deeply troubled society. How can we condone violence, no matter the grievance?
This incident must be understood within the broader crisis of sexual violence against young girls in South African schools.
— Tsileng Sobuthongo, Ntabankulu mayor and ANC Alfred Nzo district regional chair
“The teachers didn’t deserve to die for someone else’s warped sense of justice. The debate rages on social media, but let’s be clear — there’s no justification for murder.
“There is one post that says that all the remaining teachers must be killed in that school. Authors of such posts should be prepared to go to court and be prosecuted if anything happens to the teachers.”
The mayor said there were many cases of abuse of children and many parents either conniving with or protecting the abusers.
“This incident must be understood within the broader crisis of sexual violence against young girls in South African schools,” a fuming Sobuthongo said.
Almost 100 teachers from the Eastern Cape were reported to their regulatory board for misconduct, including sexual assault of pupils and corporal punishment in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years.
Between 2021 and 2025, 176 teachers were found guilty of sexual misconduct, involving harassment of both girls and boys.
Out of 211 reported cases, only 35 teachers were acquitted.
Education MEC Fundile Gada led a government delegation to the funeral of Matanzima at Calvary village in Cacadu on Saturday.
He promised to apply stringent security measures at the school.
Nkqayi-Diko will be buried on Saturday, on the same day Gcaba will be buried.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.