A 19-year-old learner was shot dead inside Ndengezi Intermediate School in Kwandengezi, west of Durban, after an alleged gunman disguised as a learner entered the premises and opened fire in front of schoolmates and teachers.
The suspect remains at large, leaving parents and educators demanding urgent answers about how a person carrying a firearm was able to enter the school and reach the victim.
The shooting happened on Monday morning as learners were preparing to enter their classrooms for trial examinations. The victim, Sphelele Ngubane, was reportedly with other learners when he was attacked.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the alleged shooter wore the same uniform as the learners. Police are investigating the circumstances of the shooting and searching for the suspect.
“It is alleged that the victim and the suspect were seen entering the school premises together when the suspect shot the victim several times,” Netshiunda said.
The attack happened in front of schoolmates and teachers, who were left traumatised as the school day turned into a crime scene. A security guard at the school allegedly ran for his life after the shots were fired.
Ngubane’s father, Sithembiso Ngcobo, said he received a phone call after the shooting and went to the school, where he found his son’s lifeless body. He later visited the mortuary to collect the body in preparation for the funeral.
Ngcobo said the security guard told him that the shooting had happened in front of him and that he had run to protect himself.
“The security guard told me that everything happened in front of him and that he ran for his safety.“That made me realise that our children are not safe in schools as guards can do nothing to protect them,” Ngcobo said.
The father said he was devastated that his son was killed inside school grounds, a place where learners should be protected while studying and preparing for their futures.
He supports the use of professional security companies with properly trained guards at schools. He said the incident demonstrated the need for stronger access control and a security presence capable of responding when an armed person enters a school.
Ngcobo also criticised the security situation in Kwandengezi, saying the shooting happened close to a police station but the suspect had still not been arrested.
“Where my son was shot is less than five minutes away from the police station, but still today the killer has not been found, which explains why crime is so high in Kwandengezi,” he said.
He remembered Ngubane as a learner who loved school and was focused on his examinations. He said the teenager had been studying hard and did not want to miss classes while preparing for the tests.
The source material refers to Ngubane as a Grade 12 learner in the description of the shooting, but a Department of Education statement reportedly described him as a Grade 10 learner despite his age. His father said the grade information was a regrettable mistake. Regardless of the discrepancy, Ngcobo said his son had been working towards his examinations and thinking about his future.
Ngcobo had already begun helping his son plan life after school. He wanted to assist him in getting a driver’s licence and then studying electrical work, which he believed suited his talents.
“I planned to help him get a driver’s licence in December and then study what he is good at, which is electricity, next year.“He was also talented in soccer,” he said.
The father said the killing had not only taken away his son but had also affected the learners and teachers who witnessed the shooting. He was concerned about the trauma they would carry while preparing to write their final examinations.
He also said he had established that the alleged suspect had a home in Kwandengezi and another in the Eastern Cape. Police have not publicly confirmed those details, and investigators will need to establish the suspect’s identity, movements and possible relationship with Ngubane.
KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the department would assist police with the investigation. He also said security measures at schools in the province would be upgraded.
The district education management team would continue monitoring the situation and provide psychosocial support to learners and educators affected by the shooting.
“As the matter is now subject to a police investigation, the department will refrain from commenting further on the circumstances surrounding the incident at this stage,” the department said.
The department’s response places the immediate focus on supporting the school community while police investigate the murder. Counselling may be provided to learners and staff who witnessed the attack or were exposed to the aftermath.
The shooting has also revived concern about weapons entering schools. The South African Democratic Teachers Union said attacks inside school premises were sporadic, but that it had become common for learners to carry weapons.
SADTU spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said guns had been used in attacks at schools, particularly in the Western Cape, while the wider problem of weapons in schools was present across the country.
“We have seen pockets of attacks in schools, especially where guns are used in the Western Cape.“The issue of learners carrying weapons is quite prevalent across the country, and it is worrying.“We are seeing gangsterism in communities and moving into the schools by some children who are part of criminal gangs, or others bring in weapons because they want to protect themselves from bullies in the school,” Cembi said.
The National Association of School Governing Bodies said communities also had a responsibility to help protect schools. Its general secretary, Matakanye Matakanya, said the Kwandengezi shooting was not an isolated incident and that similar safety concerns existed in other schools.
“These incidents are widespread,” he said.
Matakanya said public schools belonged to communities, which meant parents and residents could not leave school safety only to police officers or security guards.
“We have to ensure that there are support mechanisms to ensure that teachers and children are safe. They will never be safe because of the police alone, but they will only be safe through the community because all the people carrying weapons come from the communities,” he said.
He called on school governing bodies to create strict safety policies and said those policies required support and resources from the Department of Education.
Parents Association of KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Vee Gani said communities should not wait for another tragedy before demanding safer schools. She called for stronger controls at entrances, better monitoring of visitors and practical plans to protect learners and teachers.
“In light of this tragic incident, it is important for schools and communities to look at ways to strengthen security, improve access control, monitor entry points and ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place.“Parents, schools, governing bodies, communities and law enforcement must work together to identify vulnerabilities and take practical steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again,” Gani said.
The killing has raised questions about how school uniforms, visitor access and security procedures are managed. A uniform can make it difficult for staff to distinguish between a learner and an outsider, especially during a busy arrival period. Police will need to establish how the alleged shooter entered the premises, whether he was known to Ngubane and whether anyone saw him carrying a firearm.
The suspect’s escape means the school community is waiting for an arrest while trying to recover from the shooting. Police have not released information about the weapon used, a possible motive or whether anyone else assisted the alleged shooter.
For Ngubane’s family, the investigation cannot undo the loss of a son who was planning to study electrical work, obtain his licence and continue developing his soccer talent. For his classmates and teachers, the school is now associated with a violent attack that happened as they prepared for examinations.
Police and education officials face pressure to find the suspect, explain how the shooting happened and ensure that learners can return to school without feeling exposed. The search for answers has begun, but the pain of the Ndengezi school community will continue long after the crime scene is cleared.
