Mthatha Express North - E-Edition - 29 January 2026

Provincemournslossofthreeeducatorsinshootingtragedy

BABALWA NDLANYA

SPOKESPERSON for the Department of Education, Malibongwe Mtima said the MEC for the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape, Fundile Gade, together with the entireDepartment of Education and the Ntabankulu Primary School community, mourn the devastating loss of threefemale educators who tragically died following ashooting incident at the school on 22 January.

The deceased are aGrade 1teacher, Nonyameko Matanzima(64), a Grade 3teacher, Buyiswa Nkqayi (52) and aGrades4 and 5isiXhosa teacher, Ntombizonke Nonkondlo (51)

Mtimasaid the shockingincident occurred during school hours when the school’s former Deputy Principal unlawfully gained access to the school premises and opened fire in the staff room where educators were gathered.

One educator died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to their injuries at amedicalfacility. Subsequent to the fatalshooting, the perpetrator turned the firearm on himself and died on the school premises.

“Thedeceased perpetrator had recently been dismissed following adisciplinaryprocess linked to allegations of sexualmisconduct involving learners,” said Mtima.

“At the time of the incident,he was also facing criminalcharges on the same matter at the Mthatha Regional Court.

“Furthermore, the school had obtained acourt interdict against this former employee due to persistent threats and intimidation of staff, including sporadic incidents of gunfireinthe vicinity of the school,” he said

Immediately following the incident, all learners and educators were safely released from school with the support of the South Afri-

can Police Services.

The department has activated its Wellness Services to provide psycho-social support and trauma counsellingtoaffected learners, staff,and the broader school community. Theserviceswillbe provided in conjunction with Social Developmentand other sector departments.

Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, has expressed profound shock, sorrow and outrageatthe tragic shootingincident which happened in this school.

He extends hisdeepest condolencestothe families, colleagues, learners andthe broader school communitywho have been traumatised by thishorrific act of violence

“This is adevastating loss of life in aspace thatshouldbeasanctuary of learning, safety and hope. Our heartsare withthe families who are nowlefttocarry unbearable grief,” he said.

Mabuyane furtherexpressed graveconcern that the alleged perpetrator was aformer deputy

principal whohad been dismissed in 2020 for seriousmisconduct involvingthe sexual abuse of learnersand whose criminal case has been ongoing since 2023.

“Thistragedy raises painfulbut necessaryquestions about institutional accountability, the protection of whistleblowers, the responsiveness of lawenforcement and the safeguardingofour schools No child and no educator should ever feel unsafeinaschool environment.”

He has stronglycondemned the abuse of childrenbythose entrusted withtheircare, describingitas abetrayal of the highestorder.

Mabuyane added that teachers occupy asacred position in society.“When that trust is violated through abuse, violence or exploitation, the full might of the law must act swiftly and decisively.”

He has calledonthe South African Police Services and allrelevant authoritiestoensurethat acomprehensive investigation is conducted, including areviewof how previouswarnings and re-

portswere handled.

Mabuyane also urged the Department of Education, Social Development and Health to provide immediate psycho-social support to affected learners, educators and families.

“We must honour the memory of the educators who lost theirlives by strengthening our systems of protection, accountability and early intervention. We owe it to every child in the EasternCape to build schools that are safe, nurturing and freefrom fear.”

Provincial Secretary for the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union in the Eastern Cape, Malibongwe Ntame, said as a union, they are shocked, disturbed and perturbed by the tragic incident of three innocent female teachersfrom thisschool. The passing of theseeducators is a huge loss to the school and the community of Ntabankulu.

“We declared our schools as safer havens for teaching and learning, and they must remain like that.

“Having strong fencing as a

FarmersurgedtostopdangerousFMDtreatments

BABALWA NDLANYA

FARMERS in Mbozisa Villagein Mqanduli have beenstrongly urged to immediatelystop using petrol and madubula as atreatment forFoot and Mouth Disease (FMD), following growing concern over unsafe practices being applied to infected livestock and those suspected of having the disease

This comes after suspectedcases of FMD were reported in the area.

Authorities expressed alarmthat some farmers had resorted to mixing petrol with madubula, while others used rough salt andtraditional beer in an attempt to treat infected cattle

The Department of Agriculture (DoA) warnedthat these methods are dangerous and can worsen the condition of animals and pose health risks to them.

Addressing farmers during the awareness session, Controller of the Department of Agriculture at King

Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality Office, Litha Gqokoma, emphasised thatisolationisone of the mostcritical measures in controlling the spreadofFMD.

“Farmers must immediately isolate anyanimalshowing symptoms of Foot andMouth Disease and report such cases to veterinary officials. Using petrol, madubula or anyother unapproved substances is harmful to animals,” said Gqokoma. Theoutreachteam wasled by

Deputy Director,Coordination at Department of Agriculture in King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality Office, Zolile Kantolo, who reiterated the importance of cooperation between farmers and authorities.

“Weare appealing to farmersto work with the government and follow veterinary guidance. FMDhas serious economicconsequences, and ignoring regulations will only deepen the crisis in our communities,”

baseline, employment of security guards/personnel, installation of CCTVcameras and panic buttons can strengthen and guarantee the safetyand security of teachers, learners and support staff, parents etc. in all our schools,” said Ntame.

He added that proper and quality teaching and learning can only take place when the environment is conducive.

“We are calling upon all State Departments to urgently provide psycho-social services to the entire school community of Ntabankulu Primary.

“We further urge the Law Enforcement Agencies to fast-track the investigation processes. Lastly, we extend our sincere and deepest condolences to the school community of Ntabankulu Primary and the affected families in particular.”

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, confirmed that the third educator succumbed to her injuries while being transported by ambulance to Mthatha Hospital.

She said the ambulance personnel diverted to Madzikane Hospital in Mount Frere after she experienced medical complications, whereshe was declared deceased by the attending doctor.

“This development means all three educators shot in the attack have now been declared deceased. All victims were female educators,”said Gantana.

“The suspect,a former teacher at the school who was dismissed in 2023 following sexual assault charges and was out on bail, was declared deceased at thescene.

“The investigation has now been revised to the following case classifications: three counts of murder and an inquest docket,” concluded Gantana.

According to Gantana, the investigation intothe full circumstances continues.

said Kantolo. Oneofthe affected farmers, Reuben Mpondombini,whose cattle show signs of FMD, shared hisconcern about the impact of the disease on hislivelihood.

“This disease is painful for us as farmersbecause cattle are our source of income and support for our families. Losing them means losing everything. Iamcalling on fellow farmers to follow the advice given by officials.”

AbathembuKingpartnerswithIsraelonhealth,education

BABALWA NDLANYA

THE Abathembu King BuyelekhayaDalindyebo haspartnered withIsrael with the aimof improvinghealth and education locally Dalindyebo confirmedthis during ameeting he hosted with an Israeli delegation at Nkululekweni in Mthatha last week.

He said health facilities are in poor condition, and what he wants to see is anation that is well-securedinterms of healthcare.

“Thisiswhat Iwould love to see. We usually describe freedomasaccess to landand minerals, butIbelieve the best form of freedomis access to good health, good services, anda protected nation,” said Dalindyebo.

He added that when everyonehas access to education, true freedom will be within reach

He said there is no need to free people who are ignorant and lack knowledge,who cannot take care of theirown assets and wealth; therefore, education is important.

Dalindyebo added that Israel was the first country toreach outand offer assistance when theMthatha community was affected by floods on 10 June2025.

“During our desperate time when we suffered from floods, Iasked for no assistance. They felt in their hearts thatthey needed to help us, and from thathelp, they are now extending more support so that we can stand.”

Israeli Ambassador and Director for Digital Diplomacy in the Office of Home Affairs in Israel, David Saranga, said this was his second visit to theEasternCape. Hisfirst visit was in August 2025, during whichheinvited Dalin-

dyebo to visit Israel because thereare many fields in whichthe two can cooperate.

“Water, agriculture, technology, education Iamhere to build bridges between Israel and the people of South Africa. When Icame here in August, Iinvited the King to come and see what Israel is good at. In December,hevisited us and met with different people, wherewe presented areas in whichwecan cooperate.

That is why we arehere today,” said Saranga.

He added that they came with representatives fromInnovation Africa, an organisation that brings water to remote villages across Africa, including South Africa, usingIsraeli technology.

Sarangasaidthey came togethertoidentify villages where they canprovide clean water to communities.

“We also look to cooperate in the field of agriculture, given the richland we have here. I hope that soon we will see cooperation in the field of health. We aregoing to cover all the expenses because we want to help the people of this area. Iamhappy to be here, and we are going to startverysoon,”hesaid.

TheChief Executive Officer(CEO) of Nelson Mandela AcademicHospital, Nomkhita Mtonjana,saidmanyissues were discussedduring the meeting, particularly regarding Frere Hospital, as they want to see it reach asimilarlevel.

“We agreed that in terms of collaboration, we need to write down our needs in various areas, whether infrastructureorcapacity building in our specialised fields. We will then look at how we can work with the Israelis,”saidMtonjana.

GovernmentClusterdeliversschoolsupportinMthatha

THE JusticeCrime Prevention andSecurity (JCPS) Clusterconducted asuccessful back-toschoolcampaign at A.V. Plaatjies SeniorSecondary School in Mthatha last week.

Various dignitaries from theEastern Cape Provincial Government and HeadsofDepartment from theJCPS Cluster visited thisschool to support the countrywide back-to-school campaign and, for this school in particular,tofulfil thecommitments made duringthe previous visitbythe cluster.

Amongthe dignitariesinattendance were thetwo Heads of Departmentfrom the JCPS Cluster: Thulani Sibuyi, whoisthe Director General of the CivilianSecretariat for Police, and the National Commissioner,Makgothi Thobakgale

The founder of the school, AlvenVuyisa Plaatjie, expressedhis greatappreciation for thesupport that the government hasprovided for thedevelopment of the school.“Let this school continue to be asafeplace forteaching and learningtobetter the future of ourcountry,” he said.

The interventions that were undertaken during thisvisit were identified as challenges in thelast imbizo thatwas conducted by the cluster inSeptember 2024. Among others, these included thehanding over of bursaries and uniforms to selected pupils, the repair of some damaged school infrastructure, as well as the cutting ofgrass in and around the school yard.

Following awalkabout by the delegation to inspect progress thathas been made in addressing theidentified challenges at the school,

the Director General of Civilian Secretariatfor Police, Sibuyi, expressed their satisfaction with the work that was undertaken by the team.

“We arereally impressed with the progress made, and whilst we acknowledge that alot still needs to be done, the team has done tremendous work in fixing the broken windows, plastering of walls, repairing of the broken tables and chairs, and electrical wiring in the classrooms, amongst other things,”hesaid.

He also pledged to addressthe escalating challengeofwater shortages in theschool.

Correctional Services Commissioner,Makgothi Thobakgale, emphasised the importance of safety in communities, which alsomakes the teaching and learning process easier in schools.

“The Cabinet of South Africaapproved the

integrated crimeand violence prevention strategy which emphasises that we work with and amongst communities to prevent crime. Once our efforts of crimeprevention increase, safety levels increase in communities,businesses improve, our children areable to go to school without fear, and teachers do their work without fear,” saidThobakgale.

Theprincipal of the school, Xolisa Maqude, also appreciated the work that was undertaken by the cluster.“Theperformance of learners is influenced by prevailing conditions under whichteaching and learning occur.Ifwecontinue on this path, whereweimprove notonly the infrastructureinand around the school but also thewell-being of students, we will maintain the good resultsthat we always obtainas A.V. PlaatjiesSecondarySchool,”saidMaqude

Sport

WinterCupadds women’sdivision

HOSEYAJUBASE

WINTER Cup founder, Jongabantu Ngcuthushe, has confirmed that, for the firsttime this year, they aregoing to introduce awomen’s cup.

“Thisisgoing to be the first editionfor women's football, and we are going to include women's football every year from now on,” said Ngcuthushe.

“We decided to include women because there are notournaments for them in the province. Theyonly play league games, then after that, they do nothing. We are trying to promote gender equality in football;wedon’t want to leave women behind,” saidNgcuthushe.

The women’s football tournamentwillfea-

ture eightteams or more, and the Winter Cup women'stournament is expected to take place in August or September 2026. Theoverall winnerwill gohome with R20,000.

This year, on the men’sside, Winter Cup will hostthe tournament forthe sixth timesince the tournament started in 2021.

Thirty-twomale teams participated in the men’s tournament each year since 2021.

The prizes have increased drastically this year. Themen’swinners will go home with R50,000, whilst secondplacereceivesR25,000.

Ngcuthushe said he is proud that since they started thetournament in 2021, they have managed to pay winners on time.

The men’s tournament will take placebetween 13 and 14 June 2026 and conclude on 20 and21June 2026.

Musketeersleadunbeatenstreak

ANELE RAZIYA

THE Centane-based team,MusketeersFC, are expected to maintain their winning streak when the SAFA Amathole Hollywoodbets RegionalStream Eleague fixtures continue this weekend.

Since the start of the season last year, MusketeersFCfrom Centane are among threeteams that are still enjoying an unbeaten run. Currently, the Centane team are leadingthe Stream Estandings in Mnquma with nine points after three games, and they are followed by Amakotamane FC with six pointsin two games.Ngqamakhwe City FC occupy third position in the standingswith six pointsafter threeleaguegames,whilst ZenySport Club still maintain their winning run with sixpoints in twomatches.

In recent league games played by theseteams, whoare yet to taste defeat this season, logleadersMusketeersFCpunished Ezikaxhamela FC 5-0toremain on top. Zeny Sport Club beat Ngqamakhwe City FC 2-1 away, and Amakotamane FC demolished WongamaFC6-1 to claimsecond position

In other Stream Eaction, WSU Butterworth FC drew 1-1 against Young Stars UnitedFC, and FC Tshabalala surprised Inter City SportsClub

bybeating them 5-1 away.Looking ahead to this Saturday’sleague fixtures, some teams willbe gunning to bounce back,whilst others willbe aiming tomaintain their winning streak.

In fixtures to be played at different venues in Mnquma, Ngqamakhwe City FC will host Amakotamane FC, Ngqamakhwe United FC will be visitedbyWSU Butterworth FC, the log leaders will welcome Wongama FC, Inter City Sports Club will battleagainst Young Stars United FC, FC Tshabalala will entertain Zeny Sport Club at home,and Ezikaxhamela FC will host NdabankuluS.S.SFC.

Allthese fixtures are expected to be played in the afternoon on Saturday, 31 January, and dangerous weapons arenot allowed at the venues.Looking at SAFA Amathole Hollywoodbets RegionalLeague StreamFinMbhashe, three teams are tied with nine points at the top of their standings.

Abahlobo FC are leading the standings with a better goaldifferencecompared to ExcellBoys’ FCand BM FC,who are chasing the top spot.

All three top teams have played three games sincethe start of the season and are enjoying a100% winning run. Thisweekend, StreamF fixtures willcontinue in Mbhashe, where five league matches areexpected to take place at different venues.

Formerchampionshostopentrials

ANELE RAZIYA

SOME teams in the Sasol League in the EasternCapeare starting to prepare for the new league campaign for the 2026 season, thoughthe kick-offdate is yet to be confirmed

Thisfollows after the former Sasol League Inland Stream champions, Executive Ladies’ FC from Ntabankulu, are preparing to host open trials early next month.

According to their published announcement, trials arescheduled to be held at 4Rooms Sports GroundsinNtabankulu from 1-7 February.

Club chairman Mawethu Nama, speaking to Mthatha Express,said the trialsare open to everyonetocome and be part of the event, and they also encourage players to bring theiridentity documents or passports.

Nama saidthey also expect players to bring their own kits, water, and food, and free accommodation will be provided.

He said playerswho areinterested in being partofthe trials need to call him on 082 767 1647.

The intentionofhosting the trialsisthat ExecutiveLadies FC areaiming to bolster

theirsquad for next season so that it can compete for the top spot

Last season, the Ntabankulu team finished theirleague campaign in the Sasol League Inland Stream, sitting in second position for the first time after four consecutive years when they werealways winning the stream.

However, Bizana-based team 4800 Ladies’ FC surprised the former stream champions when they displayed great performance throughout the 2025 season to claim the top spot and earn an opportunity to play in the Sasol League national promotion playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Bizana team tried their best during the playoffs but failed to gain promotion.

Now,all teams in the Sasol League, including Ntabankulu, will be aiming to work hard thisseason with the target of finishing at the top of the league table, as each team is aiming to participate in the national playoffs.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, it was the first time Executive Ladies’ FC failed to finish at the top of Inland Stream, but with the upcoming trials, the Ntabankulu team is trying to build astrong squad that can compete for the top spot once again.

EasterTournamenttacklesdrugproblem

HOSEYAJUBASE

CITY Strikers FC willhostaU/19Easter tournament aimed at rescuing kids from drugs.

Speaking to the Express,coach Bonga Dywili said they have noticedthatafter returning from initiationschool, some of the players start joininggangster groups and smoking.

“We have been observing this foralong time, and it’s killing our players, so by

hosting this tournament, we alsowantto teach themthatsportiskey in life

“There is no need forour playersto change when theyare returningfrominitiation school; instead,theyneedtocontinuefocusingontheir careers.

“Our kids in Mthathaare dying due to drugs, andthe main purpose of hostingthisjuniortournament is to rescue them,”saidcoach Dywili.

Thetournament will be hostedfrom3 April to 6April 2026.