By Everson Luhanga
- Police arrest Inxiweni Primary School clerk after principal Ruth Tabu and admin clerk Nobantu Njombane were shot dead inside the school.
- Police say the clerk is held after questions over R52,750 from a school account, and they seize her phone, laptop and cash.
Police have arrested a second suspect, a 35-year-old man, in the early hours of Friday morning in connection with the double murder at Inxiweni Primary School on 18 November 2025. He is expected to appear at Tembisa Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 24 November 2025, facing two counts of murder.
Police say investigations into the killings are still ongoing. A 26-year-old woman who works as a financial clerk is behind bars after police arrested her on Wednesday night. She is being held at Tembisa Police Station and faces two murder charges. The case is linked to the killing of principal Ruth Tabu, who was 58, and admin clerk Nobantu Njombane, who was 55.
The two women were shot and killed inside the admin block at Inxiweni Primary School on Tuesday afternoon. Police say officers found them lying on the ground with gunshot wounds when they arrived.
Police believe the clerk hired hitmen after she was questioned about a payment of R52,750 from a school account to a personal account. She was also found with petty cash that she is said to have planned to hand to a hitman. Officers seized her phone and laptop during the arrest.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi visited the school soon after the shooting, along with Gauteng provincial department of education senior figures.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi says: “On the evening of 19 November 2025, the police arrested a 26-year-old woman in connection to the murder of the school principal and one admin clerk.”
She says the suspect is an employee at the school and will appear at Tembisa Magistrates’ Court on 21 November 2025.
Colonel Nevhuhulwi says the first call came in at about 16:15 on 18 November. She says officers found both victims already dead. The full circumstances are still under investigation.
The Democratic Alliance says the attack shows how school safety has dropped under Premier Lesufi. The party has called on Education MEC Matome Chiloane to produce a clear safety plan for every school in the province.
Pictured above: Scene at Inxiweni Primary School after the shooting
Image source: Mfanelo Dzanibe
