The incident took place at the Mabusabesala Secondary School in Weltevrede in the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality - while the grade 11s were writing their tourism paper.

The spokesperson for the department, Jasper Zwane, says the male teacher has been suspended and the school urged to open a case at the local police station.

"We are worried about the incident because schools are a gun-free zone and no-one should carry dangerous weapons in schools," says Zwane.

Zwane says the department is probing what led to the incident.

"Above all, we are going to send a team to the school to see if they were traumatised."

A 26-year old teacher from the Mabusabesala Secondary School in Weltevrede has been suspended after he was recorded invigilating a grade 11 midyear examination - with a gun hanging in his hand. pic.twitter.com/3C27I3IKZl

— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) June 7, 2019

Jacaranda News