Son cleans blood-stained ground after deputy principal shot at Stellenbosch school

A son was left to scrub the blood-stained ground at Kayamandi Primary School after his father, deputy principal Mlamli Matshingana, 54, was shot and killed last week.

The incident occurred around 1:30 pm, and police are currently searching for the suspects involved.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said that the motive for the shooting is still under investigation. The son expressed disbelief at having to clean the spot where his father had fallen, reflecting on the profound loss of the man who inspired him to become an educator.

Western Cape education spokeswoman Bronagh Hammond said the department had provided counselling and trauma support teams.

His son, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, told IOL they were shown the exact spot where his father died, while sitting under a tree.

“We went to the school to clean the blood, and we were shown where he was shot,” he said.

“There was blood all over the place, underneath the only tree near the gate.

"That was where he had been sitting with a colleague and another person who had left before the shooting.”

The family, he said, has been told the gunman walked into the school, approached staff sitting outside, and shot at random.

“We didn’t speak to colleagues or learners about him because we don’t know what actually happened before the shooting,” he said.

"According to what we heard, the person who shot him came into the school, found him sitting outside with colleagues, randomly picked someone who was sitting there, and shot him.

Matshingana became deputy principal at Kayamandi Primary around 2022, his son said.

In the early 2000s, he was a curriculum adviser in isiXhosa and wrote books linked to his language work.

“As a person, he was very kind, very polite, and a good storyteller,” his son said.

“He was fascinated with language, especially isiXhosa, because he did some editing work.

"He motivated a lot of academics. I think he loved school more than anything because, after Covid-19, he returned to work at a school for the first time since around 1999 or 2000.

"He enjoyed the school environment and he loved children.”

He said he was an educator because of him.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus