Shock over much-loved teacher’s death

AFTER drugging, kidnapping and killing high school teacher Johniboy Harman Tselane, who had gone out for a few drinks after a long day of marking schoolbooks, his attackers dumped his body and exercise books in Morula View, Mabopane, at the weekend.

When the police discovered him on Sunday, they found the exercise books next to his body.

This was revealed by school principal Nkgomotshe Motaung yesterday, at Tselane’s memorial service.

Terry Tselane, former deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), lambasted criminals for failing to see the value of the life of a teacher in South Africa when they killed his brother, while learners and educators from St Teresa High School and the SA Democratic Teachers Union expressed their heartache.

Mourners gathered to remember the seasoned 57-year-old multi-subject teacher at the service in Brits.

However, it was the shock and the tears of his learners that described the mood when they saw (Terry), who looked almost like a twin of their late teacher, at the service.

Although the police are still investigating the death, the family shared their belief that he must have been drugged at a tavern in Bethanie, North West.

Terry said he could confirm the police’s suspicions because he also found his brother bleeding from the mouth. He said his brother was a big, strong guy, and his assailants would have had to drug him to get him to go with them.

He said this was a painful experience because his brother was a man who loved his work and had a passion for developing young people.

He had worked on a Saturday, and when he was done, he put the exercise books in the car and went for a drink, not knowing it would be his last day grading pupils’ work, said his brother, who called on the police to do something about crime in the country.

“This is a very tough time for our family. Almost one-and-a-half years ago, we buried our mother who died of Covid-19. Two weeks later, we buried our sister, who also died of Covid-19.

“Literally, me and my younger brother were saying we are the only ones left and we had to provide support to each other. Now, in an event that a person dies in the manner that he died, it leaves you extremely distraught and dejected,” said Terry.

One of his learners, Chipo Magogora, 15, said: “I am very sad. Teacher Tselane was a good man. He was like a father to me. He taught me English, but outside of academics he taught (me) about being confident and dealing with bullying.”

Tselane’s car was found at a guest house in Bethanie, where it was believed one of the suspects went to sleep.