OFM News reported in September last year that 24-year-old Gadimang Mokolobate was murdered by a pupil in his class at the Ramotshere Moiloa High School, in Dinokana Village, Lehurutshe, outside Zeerust. News24 reports that as she delivered her sentence, Magistrate Winnie Malane said Mokolobate was killed in cold blood. The magistrate said the accused, who cannot be named as he is still a minor, planned the death.

Magistrate Malane said that the deceased was vulnerable and defenceless as he did not provoke the pupil to kill him. OFM News had earlier reported that the killing happened after Mokolobate reprimanded the pupil for refusing to stand in a queue, following which, the accused then ran home, fetched a knife and returned to the school where he stabbed his teacher. The teacher was then rushed to a local clinic where he was then declared dead on arrival.

The provincial department of education earlier said it would welcome any decision made by the court. OFM News were unable to reach neither the spokesperson for the provincial department, Freddy Sepeng, nor the MEC Sello Lehari, for official comment.   The killing made national headlines, with unions calling for the Department of Basic Education to take action. Responding to these calls, the spokesperson for the Basic Education department, Elijah Mhlanga, said the department cannot do anything on its own and it is difficult to charter a way forward without the involvement of the parents and society.

OFM News