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The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) would like to express its deepest shock and dismay at the brutal killing of the Deputy Principal of Laduma High School who was also a member of SADTU. Comrade Priscila Mchunu was gunned down on Saturday the 18th of March 2017 in front of her learners as she was engaged in Saturday classes.

She was also the acting Principal in the school. SADTU strongly condemns this cold-blooded murder which has left not only the family but the community as well as the learners and teachers in her school highly traumatized. SADTU has lost one of her best members who was committed in assisting the Union in realising its vision of creating a learning nation hence her being in class not just on Saturday but during a long weekend when she was supposed to be enjoying herself somewhere else.

SADTU, once more, wants to remind the society about the importance of a teacher in the transformation agenda. It is mainly education that can assist to deal with unemployment, poverty and inequalities in our societies. This alone defines the role that a teacher has to play so anyone who kills a teacher must be declared an enemy of the society; in fact killing a teacher is equal to killing the whole nation and as such the entire society must work together in isolating these criminals as they do not deserve to be in our communities.

We therefore urge the community to assist the police with all the information they may have which may lead to the arrest of culprit. The pain caused by  this killing is overwhelming. SADTU has been made aware of the untimely death of Comrade Sithembile Shelembe, an HOD at Congco High School in Richmond who died after receiving the news of the death of her friend - Comrade Mchunu. May their souls rest in peace.

SADTU sends her deepest condolences to the family, Laduma High community and to all SADTU members. We invite the Department of Education in the province to develop programmes aimed at strengthening safety and security of teachers and learners in schools. As SADTU, we urge the Education MEC Mthandeni Dlongwane when he presents his budget before the provincial parliament,, to allocate more funding for the provision of trained security personnel in our schools, more especially in the hot spots.

The provincial leadership of SADTU will visit both Laduma and Ncongco High Schools tomorrow (22 March,2017)

Issued by SADTU KZN