Grade 9 pupil stabbed to death outside school gates

Durban – A Grade 9 KwaZulu-Natal pupil was stabbed to death outside the school gates on Tuesday afternoon, the KZN Education Department said on Wednesday.

KZN Education Department MEC Peggy Nkonyeni said in a statement that Lungisani Ngema, a pupil at Hlamvana High School in the Uthunguli District, was attacked by two suspects.

"It is reported that the suspects had been standing outside the school gate clearly waiting for the deceased," she said.

Nkonyeni said she was shocked and heartbroken by the incident.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the inhumane behaviour shown by suspects who took the life of a young soul who had a bright future ahead of him.

"We hope the police will work around the clock and make sure that the perpetrators are taken away from the community. There is no space for killers in our communities."

The MEC has called for calm in the community and pleaded with the community not to take the law into their own hands while police search for the suspects.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with the Ngema family during this difficult time. We are even more saddened by the fact that this incident happened at a critical time where learners are writing their final exams," said Nkonyeni.