Second Suspect Arrested in Connection with Inxiweni Primary School Murders; Court Protects Identity of First Accused
Tembisa – Police in Gauteng have apprehended a second suspect, a 35-year-old man, in connection with the brutal murders of Nozibele Thapu, the principal of Inxiweni Primary School, and Nobantu Njomboni, an administrative assistant at the same school. The two women were shot dead on the school premises on Tuesday, 18 November 2025.
The arrest of the man follows the apprehension of a 26-year-old woman on Wednesday night. Both suspects are now expected to appear before the Tembisa Magistrate's Court, where they will face charges related to the double murder.
According to Gauteng police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, the 35-year-old man was taken into custody in the early hours of Friday morning. He will face two counts of murder. "Police investigations are ongoing on this matter," Colonel Nevhuhulwi confirmed.
The first suspect, the 26-year-old woman, appeared in the Tembisa Magistrate's Court on Friday. However, in a significant development, the court has ordered that her identity be withheld from the public due to credible threats to her safety.
The application to protect the woman's identity was brought before the court by her lawyer, Octavious Magunda. He argued that his client had been receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers even before her arrest. These threats, he said, extended not only to her own life but also to the safety of her family. Magunda also pointed out that images of his client were already circulating on social media, further exacerbating the risk to her and her loved ones.
"My client, before arrest, was already receiving threat calls from unknown numbers. The threats were not just to her life only but to that of her family. We have also noted her images already circulating on social media, so we believe it’s not in the interest of justice to identify her as it puts her loved ones at risk, so we would object to her identity being shared," Magunda told the court.
Magistrate, after considering the arguments, ruled in favour of the accused. The court ordered that the woman should not be identified in any media reports. However, the magistrate did allow for audio recordings of the proceedings to be made for that specific sitting. The media were advised that should they wish to cover the matter on Monday, they would need to submit another application to do so.
During the court appearance, Prosecutor Maxwell Randima informed the court that the 26-year-old woman faces two counts of murder. He also indicated that additional charges, including conspiracy, are likely to be added. "The state is going to allege common purpose and that those counts were planned; therefore, the matter is enrolled under Schedule 6," Randima stated. The case has been postponed to Monday to allow the woman's co-accused to join her in the dock.
The Gauteng Department of Education has expressed its relief at the swift action taken by the authorities in apprehending the suspects. Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the department, was present at the court proceedings. "We would like to appreciate the speed by the authorities in this matter and welcome the arrests that have been made so far, and hope all the accused will be brought to book," Mabona told the media.
The motive behind the killings remains unclear, but allegations of financial irregularities at the school have surfaced. Sowetan newspaper reported that the double murder occurred allegedly just after the principal had confronted the school’s accountant over missing funds. There have also been claims of stolen food from the school feeding scheme.
Mabona acknowledged the rumours and allegations but stated that the department would refrain from commenting on these matters at this stage, "We don’t want to contaminate the police investigation, as it seems there is some relation from the said transactions, to stolen nutrition food, to security not functioning that day because generally all security measures work; the security guard is there, and CCTV cameras work."
The investigation into the murders is ongoing, and the community awaits further developments as the case unfolds in court. The tragic loss of Nozibele Thapu and Nobantu Njomboni has deeply affected the Inxiweni Primary School and the wider community, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by schools in South Africa.
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