Police in KwaZulu-Natal arrested a suspect on Tuesday in connection with the murder of an acting school principal late last year.

Busani Khomo, 57, was gunned down along Sofasonke Road on December 5, 2024, as he was driving out of the school premises.

He was the deputy principal and acting principal of Sikhethuxolo Secondary School in Hammarsdale in the Pinetown District.

It has been alleged that Khomo’s murder could be linked to a fierce competition for the role of the school’s principal.

After the killing, the murder docket was handed over to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit for further investigation.

Police said it conducted intelligence-driven operations in the Mpumalanga Township on March 11, which led to the arrest of the 28-year-old suspect.

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Police also seized a pair of pants which are suspected to have been worn by the suspect during the commission of the offence.

The man has been charged with murder.

He is expected to appear in the Hammarsdale Magistrate’s Court on March 12.

Police said investigations into the matter remain ongoing and more arrests are imminent.

Khomo, who was also a member of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), was described as a very dedicated teacher who was always associated with success.

According to SADTU, Khomo taught at Ingede Primary school and moved on to Luthayi High. In 2013, he was appointed as the Departmental Head at Amatshezulu High school where he served the union as a site steward. In the same year, he was elected as the branch treasurer of Mathews Meyiwa in the Mzi Mthembu Region.

In 2014, he was promoted to deputy principal at Sikhethuxolo Secondary School, where he taught until his death. Between 2015 and 2017, he served as the branch secretary of Mathews Meyiwa for the union.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

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