Johannesburg - MEC of Education in Gauteng Panyanza Lesufi has stated that the killing of Buyani Primary School looked like a hit.
Speaking at the school on Friday morning, Lesufi said the killing was the third in the area where principals were targeted.
The principal was shot around 7am on Friday morning in Finetown, south of Joburg.
The principal, who is yet to be identified, had eight bullets shot into his car as he sat inside.
Lesufi said that in March, he received an email from concerned people in the area.
He said they were raising raising challenges at the school as well as the qualifications of the principal and the school management.
He said the district was forwarded the email and asked to intervene.
"They intervened and met with those that raised the concerns. In the last three months we thought everything has been sorted out until we got this sad news this morning (sic)," said Lesufi.
Commenting on the three schools that have experienced the killings within the area, Panyaza said although the department could not speculate, it was clear what happened.
"In terms of the three incidents that I have attended to, one principal was shot on the main road around here and another that was shot was from around here. (So) it is clear that there is a culture from another sector that wants to be brought here.
The car in which Buyani Primary School principal was seated in when he was shot several times inside the school premises.
"I don't want to speculate what are the reasons (behind these killings) but there are three common things if you look in all these cases. The management of funds of schools in particular the procurement of textbooks.
“Secondly it is appointments of teachers, head of departments, principals and deputy principals.“
Lesufi also noted that there had recently been another principal from a local school who approached the police to intervene due to her feeling targeted and wanted protection from them.
"I had an opportunity to go through the footage (at Buyani Primary school) because there are cameras here and it is extremely difficult to witness such barbaric acts happening within our school environments.
“There is a sector that we all know that is familiar with killings and it is quite clear that within the education space, there are people that want to bring that sector behavior into our schools.
“(Basic Education) minister has since sent his condolences to the family, that was still on site this morning, the school leadership, the district and most importantly the teacher union because the principal was the chairperson of the branch of South African Democratic Teachers Union in this area," he said.
IOL