Former learners convicted in R50 000 hit on Mpumalanga acting principal
The acting principal of Sikhethuxolo High School, Busani Khomo, in Mpumalanga, Hammarsdale, who was gunned by his former learners who were hired to kill him, allegedly over the permanent principal vacancy at the school.
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The Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday convicted two men for the cold-blooded murder of Busani Khomo, the acting principal of Sikhethuxolo High School in Mpumalanga, Hammarsdale, on Durban's outer west.
Khomo, 57, was gunned down outside the school premises on the afternoon of December 5, 2024.
In a chilling twist, his killers, Sibonelo "Bhongo" Sibiya, 25, and Bheki Gabriel "Mabhiza" Dube, 27, were revealed to be former learners of the very educator they murdered.
The court heard how the hired hitmen lay in wait as Khomo was leaving the school in his Toyota Fortuner. Pivotal eyewitness testimony from a young boy described a haunting final exchange: the convicts briefly spoke to Khomo before opening fire. Even after the principal fell to the ground, the gunmen continued shooting at him. In the ensuing chaos, Khomo’s vehicle rolled into a stationary Mercedes-Benz.
Investigations confirmed that the hitmen received R50,000 for carrying out the assassination and were awaiting a second payment when they were apprehended.
A Pillar of the Community
Khomo was remembered as a devoted and generous educator and a committed supporter of the ANC. An active member of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), he was widely regarded as the frontrunner for the permanent principal position at Sikhethuxolo High.
The victim's older brother, Mvunge Khomo, expressed a fragile sense of relief following the verdict.
"We are happy that the court found them guilty. It brings peace that, in the end, the truth was revealed," he said. However, the family remains haunted by the unanswered question of who orchestrated the killing.
"We need to know who sent them. Only then will justice feel fulfilled," Khomo added, describing his brother as the family's "engine", a man who often used his own money to assist struggling learners.
A Calculated Execution
Upon arriving at the scene, family members discovered that Khomo had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
"It is clear they wanted to make sure they finished him," his brother said.
The brutality of the killing left the Mpumalanga community devastated. Ward councillor Luthando Jali said residents were left "fuming and confused" by the shocking crime. In the days that followed, social media filled with tributes from former learners who praised Khomo's generosity, his unwavering commitment to their success and maintaining the school's Grade 12 pass rate.
The tragedy ultimately claimed another life within the family. The brothers' frail 94-year-old mother, who had divided her time between her sons' homes in Pietermaritzburg and victim's residence in Cato Ridge, stopped visiting after the murder. She reportedly suffered sleepless nights, often talking to herself and questioning why her son's life had been taken. She died last July.
According to Mvunge Khomo, the emotional toll on the remaining brothers was so severe that they were unable to attend the court proceedings. Now undergoing therapy to cope with the double loss, he remains deeply concerned about the deceased's son, Zibusiso. Although the boy has not been seen crying, friends revealed a heartbreaking detail, after his father's death, he bought himself a toy gun for protection.
The convicted men are scheduled to return to court for sentencing this Tuesday.