Grabouw high school principal shot and killed on her way home

The principal of Umyezo Wama Apile High School in Grabouw, Western Cape, was reportedly shot and killed while on her way home on Friday, 18 September 2020.

As reported by SABC, Zameka Mfubesi was on her way to Khayelitsha on the N2 when she was stopped at an intersection. The “passenger window was smashed and shots fired”.

Grabouw high school principal killed

However, the motive for the murder has yet to be determined, and the assailant is still on the run. In a statement released on the Friday, education MEC Debbie Schäfer said she was “shocked and saddened by the news”.

“[…] We have lost one of our principals to a senseless act of violence. Details are currently limited, and we call on SAPS to urgently prioritise the investigation”.

Schäfer offered her deepest condolences to Mfubesi’s family, friends, colleagues, as well as Umyezo Wama Apile High School staff and students.

Schäfer added that Mfubesi’s death was a loss for the Western Cape education department and confirmed that district officials and counsellors were sent to Umyezo Wama Apile High School to offer support.

“This is a tremendous loss for her school and for the WCED”.

‘A wonderful person’

The murder shocked the community, with residents taking to social media to express their grief. One netizen said they “taught with [Mfubesi] at Bloekombos Primary” and described her as a wonderful person.

One resident remarked that the “COVID-19 Pandemic is way much better than crime in this country”, while one of Mfubesi’s students said:

“May her soul rest in peace, my former Principal/Teacher, she was kind also had a good heart, she managed our school so perfectly. I’ll always miss her”

Azile Dumezweni “we are doomed” and added that if “we’re not not killing top cops, we are killing dynamic principals”. Another netizen, Melody Gupo Masanga said South Africans “are really tired of this news everyday and no change”.

More details to follow.