A woman principal of a school in the notorious township of KwaMashu, in the north of Durban, was abducted during a robbery at her school.
The unnamed principal was abducted on Wednesday morning by a group of armed men who stormed the school just after 8am and robbed staff.
According to sources who alerted IOL about the incident, the armed men kidnapped the principal using her Toyota Fortuner.
NEWS: The principal of Thandimfundo primary school in the notorious township of KwaMashu in Durban has been kidnapped while within the school. Sources in the school said the principal was taken with her car, a Toyota Fortuner and she was later found in Umlazi. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) August 2, 2023
During the robbery incident in full view of learners, the gunmen also robbed teachers and other staff of their valuables, such as cellphones and money before they fled the scene.
“There has been a robbery at Thandimfundo Primary School KwaMashu in K section. The principal was kidnapped and her Toyota Fortuner and the suspects went on to rob all the other staff members of their cellphones and handbags. One of the teachers' cars was left behind in fear of the tracking device it had,” an eyewitness told IOL.
The traumatised principal was shoved into the boot of her vehicle during the kidnapping, but was later dumped in uMlazi, in the south of Durban.
The spokesperson for the Department of Education in the province, Muzi Mahlambi, confirmed the incident and said the principal is in stable condition after the ordeal.
“Yes, we can confirm the incident this morning. The correct name of the school is Thandimfundo in the K Section. The car was recovered in uMlazi with the principal, and she is in stable condition,” Mahlambi said.
IOL learned from the ward committee where the school is located, that the teachers were offered counselling after the incident and were dispersed earlier than usual.
Police in the province have yet to comment.
Last week, the popular acting principal of Nhlakanipho High School in D Section in KwaMashu was shot dead and his car was stolen.
Lethukuthula “Left” Gumede, who was also a Sadtu (South African Democratic Teachers Union) activist in the zone, was shot dead while in C Section of the same township and his stolen car was later recovered in Phoenix.
His friend who was with him survived the shooting incident and no one has been arrested for his murder.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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