Pupils held for murdering school secretary

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Published Nov 29, 2016

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Johannesburg - One of the teenagers accused of murdering his school’s secretary allegedly stole his soldier father’s firearm.

The firearm is believed to have been used in the killing.

The two teenagers, who attend Rabboni Christian School in Brits – where fees are more than R20 000 a year – allegedly murdered Esbé Koster by shooting her in the neck.

Koster had given the two teenagers a lift last Tuesday afternoon when she was allegedly forced at gunpoint to take another route. She was bound, shot in the neck and dumped in the bushes.

The car was found in Letlhabile. A motorist returning from work found Koster's body lying in the bushes in Brits and alerted the police.

The two boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested at the school and charged with murder, kidnapping and hijacking.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mpeile Talane said Koster’s body was intact when it was found. It was fully clothed with her jewellery and spectacles.

While it has been alleged that Koster’s car was found parked at the house of one of the boys’ grandmother, Talane said it had just been abandoned on the street. Although there were bloodstains in the car, Talane said they had not been able to determine whether Koster was killed inside and thrown in the bushes or was killed where her body was found.

“The murder weapon belongs to the father. We have confiscated it, and investigations will tell us how it ended up in his son’s hands and whether he must be charged or not,” Talane said.

Allegations are that the teenagers took the gun to school on the day the murder was committed. At some point they were seen going to the staffroom and asking Koster for some masking tape, which she gave them.

Later that afternoon, Koster gave the teenagers a lift. Koster did not return home that day, and a passer-by stumbled upon her body the following day. The teenagers, who are in Grade 9, went to school as usual and wrote exams.

Police later arrived at the school and broke the news. The boys were later questioned and apparently said Koster had indeed given them a lift, but dropped them off at a taxi rank. The teenagers were arrested at school in their uniforms.

They appeared in court on Thursday and the matter was postponed to Wednesday.

Their parents are said to be very distraught about what happened and could not stop crying.

On Monday, North West Education Department officials were at the school to determine what kind of assistance could be offered to the pupils, who were traumatised by the news.

The department’s spokesperson, Freddy Sepeng, said the staff were also traumatised by the murder.”We will be meeting with the family of the deceased at the school on Tuesday,” he added.

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The Star

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