Rise in targeted attacks on Gauteng’s school leadership sparks safety fears

Within the span of a few hours on 13 April 2026, two brutal shootings in the Gauteng East Rand left one teacher dead and an acting principal fighting for his life.

Tshepo Mankge, a veteran teacher of 20 years known for being the first to arrive at Barcelona Primary School every day, was gunned down in cold blood in Daveyton while walking to school in front of his children.

In Vosloorus, Kenneth Mandoyi, the acting principal of Lethulwazi Comprehensive School, was shot and critically wounded just 2km from his school gate.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has labelled these acts “ghastly” and “targeted”.

Sadtu spokesperson Nomsa Cembi said these incidents were the latest additions in a mounting body count.

“We are alarmed by the growing pattern of violence in Ekurhuleni directed at school leadership, particularly principals, deputy principals and heads of departments,” said Cembi. “Since 2023, nearly 10 educators have lost their lives in the region alone, yet justice continues to evade the victims and their families.”

The recent shootings are not isolated tragedies, but part of a grim pattern facing educators, as the following list highlights:

• January 2022: Thembisile Ngendane, deputy principal of Phomolong Secondary in Tembisa, was shot and killed in her car outside the school gate

• April 2024: Serake Mogoswane, a teacher at Unity Secondary in Daveyton, was gunned down while sitting in a parked vehicle.

• October 2024: Sipho Nhlengedwa, deputy principal of Rivoni Secondary in Daveyton, was killed just a few kilometres from the school.

• November 2025: Nozibele Ruth Tabu, principal of Inxiweni Primary in Tembisa, and her administrative assistant, Nobantu Njomboni, were shot dead on the school premises.

December 2025: Simon Lubisi, principal of Samit Christian Academy, was murdered in his home. His deputy principal, Themba Diwajo, was later arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Finances, promotions and
extortion are primary factors

Despite the high body count, Cembi noted that there had been few arrests and convictions, with the vast majority of these killings remaining unresolved.

To date, the only incidents that have led to significant arrests are the cases at Samit Christian Academy and Inxiweni Primary. At Samit, 50-year-old deputy principal Themba Diwajo was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, while the double murder at Inxiweni Primary led to the arrests of the school’s financial clerk, 26-year-old Mokgadi Hope Shongwe, alongside Tukie Benjamin Maditsi and Mandla Wilfred Maseko.

Without further arrests to provide definitive answers, the union is left to make grim assumptions about the drivers of these incidents.

Cembi identifies three potential primary factors.

The first is financial accountability. Cembi noted that in some schools, the push for transparency had become a high-risk endeavour, with whistleblowers being silenced for attempting to track missing funds.

The second is when competition for senior posts, such as principal or head of department, turns lethal. The final factor is the rise of extortion, as criminal syndicates demand “protection fees”, targeting school budgets.

A career of worry

A school principal from Tembisa, speaking on the condition of anonymity, questioned the safety of being a South African educator.

“It is a career that makes you worry every morning before you even reach the premises,” he said.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see what is happening in our schools; every month, there’s an incident of shooting involving school leadership. Schools are supposed to be our place of safety.”

The principal said there was a weary sense among educators that the public paid attention only when a tragedy struck, but for those on the ground, the fear was constant.

“Maybe it’s time you start being aware of what is happening at schools so that you are no longer shocked when you hear of these things.

“Always being shocked is not helpful; maybe it’s time to be proactive and protect the people who are teaching our children,” he said.

The principal said security measures at most schools were woefully inadequate.

He argued that the current model relied on untrained patrollers who were expected to secure premises without the necessary skills or authority to act. This vulnerability was deepened by the Gauteng Department of Education appointing private security companies, only to terminate their contracts shortly after, leaving schools in a dangerous state of limbo.

A temporary fix for a persistent challenge

In August 2025, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) withdrew private security guards from high-risk schools across the province. Addressing questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in November 2025, former MEC Matome Chiloane confirmed that the decision had been based on budgetary constraints.

Chiloane said school security was an unfunded intervention, intended to be a temporary measure of no more than three months. He estimated that this intervention cost the department about R13.8-million a month and noted that while some schools maintained security for longer due to persistent challenges such as gang violence, the department ultimately proceeded with the cancellations because the intervention remained an unfunded mandate.

Daily Maverick sent questions to the GDE. At the time of publication, no response had been received.

Cembi expressed concern about the removal of security guards, highlighting the link between physical safety and the ability to educate.

“You cannot teach, and you cannot be productive if you are living in fear. We feel it is of critical importance for the department to ensure adequate security in our schools,” she said.

Cembi said the union was calling for the security and justice cluster to prioritise these cases so that perpetrators were finally brought to book. DM