
VANDERBIJLPARK. – A week ago, a beloved teacher at Riverside Secondary School, Palesa Mofokeng was assassinated.
Her orchestrated murder left the Vaal reeling when she was shot and killed in a hail of bullets on a chilly Friday morning, April 07.
Following her incident, Mofokeng (33) will tomorrow [April 13] be laid to rest as her planned funeral service will be carried out at Koinonia Church in Zone 14 from 08:30-11:30 and later be buried at Unitas Park Cemetery.
A reflection of what transpired on the day of Mofokeng’s bloody killing, the slain teacher’s morning to work turned into a nightmare when she was ambushed by armed men who shot her multiple times.
The assailant’s bullets sent her vehicle bowling into a ditch, where her life was cut short.
According to eyewitnesses and preliminary investigations, Mofokeng was waiting at a traffic light near the entrance of Curro Private School on Hendrik van Eck Boulevard when a blue Honda FRV pulled up alongside her.
From the rear window of her Nissan NP200, shots rang out, leaving her wounded.
Following the shooting, police launched a 72-hour manhunt, resulting in the arrest of four suspects.
Among those arrested was Mofokeng’s ex-husband, Tumelo Ntholeng (34), a medical doctor attached to an international medical NGO.
The other suspects include Mzwanele Mazeke, believed to be the hired hitman; Jabulani Thabethe, identified as the driver; and Pakiso Makhaya, Ntholeng’s cousin.
The quartet faces grave charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder, as detailed in the charge sheet.
Vaalweekblad reached out to Mofokeng’s grieving mother, Tseleng Mathibela who is grappling with the loss of her daughter.
Failing to hold back her tears, Mathibela shared details of how her daughter’s day started before she was killed.
” She was her normal happy self when she woke up, she fed her daughter breakfast little did she know that it was the last time. After feeding her, they both left around 06:20 because she normally dropped her child at the creche before heading to work,” she said.
Mathibela said she was on her way to work when she spotted Mofokeng’s bakkie on the side of the road.
” I parked on the side and went to investigate what happened. A lady at the scene told me that my daughter was shot. All I remember was her body packed on the passenger seat when the vehicle fell in the ditch,” she said.
Asked what may have been the motive for her daughter’s assassination, Mathibela said Palesa didn’t have any enemies.
“Police at the scene asked me who I suspected. I told the police that I suspected her ex-husband because he had been verbally abusing her for years. He chased her with the court summons for everything. If it wasn’t for the baby’s custody, it was divorce,” said the devastated mother.
When Vaalweekblad spoke to a friend outside court on the suspect’s brief appearance, Sibongile Makhananise described the deceased as a strong person.
“We met in 2020 when she started working at our school. She was full of life.
Her love was felt in a room she entered. She had a huge impact on her pupils’ lives. We have lost a hero. She was a powerhouse who carried energy with her,” said Makhananise.
The bestie said Mofokeng was a very strong person, she had to be pumped with multiple shots for her to succumb to her injuries.