Johannesburg - An East Rand Grade 11 pupil accused of shooting dead a schoolmate who bullied him was granted bail of R1000 by the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Tsundzukani Mthombi, 18, allegedly shot dead Grade 10 pupil Nkululeko Ndlovu, 18, in a classroom at the Phineas Xulu Secondary School.
Ndlovu’s mother and aunt broke down and wept when the court heard how Mthombi allegedly stole his mother's handgun.
Warrant Officer Isaac Mashishi, the investigating officer, told the court Mthombi stole a safe key from his mother's purse, opened the safe, removed the gun, then replaced the key in the purse. His mother is a metro police officer.
“He took his mother’s firearm. That means he has planned [to murder],” Mashishi said.
He said Mthombi appeared to have been attacked the day before the shooting by a group of boys while waiting at a bus stop.
“They attacked him there and from there they chased him while he was running away.”
However, accounts about what happened after he removed the gun from the safe differed.
In one statement, it was claimed that the boys involved in the attack the previous day went to his classroom and started attacking him again. Mthombi fired a shot, but missed, then shot again and killed Ndlovu.
In another statement, it was alleged that the boys entered the classroom, but did not attack Mthombi before he started shooting.
The court described the State’s case as “shaky” as it had only these two, conflicting statements about what had happened.
The case was postponed until January 16.
Sapa