STABBED PRINCIPAL FORETOLD HIS DEATH
Family queries court security after killing
THE family of a slain Limpopo principal want to know how his alleged murderer managed to stab him to death inside a court room.
This was after Hendrick Mapampole Shai, 45, was stabled multiple times and killed inside the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court building just outside Tzaneen on Friday.
Hendrick – who is from Lorraine village, about 35km from Lenyenye – was appearing in court for an assault case which was opened against him in September, when the incident happened.
The case against him was apparently opened by five local taxi queue marshals, who accused Hendrick of assaulting them last year.
The alleged assault happened in the area where he lives.
Provincial police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said that during the proceedings Hendrick, who was not in custody, made a request to call his lawyer.
Mojapelo said the attacker pounced on Hendrick at the entrance to the court room as he was about to make the phone call.
“The deceased managed to get back into the court room, walked through to the magistrate’s office where he collapsed and died,” he said.
A 36-year-old man was arrested and was expected to appear before the same court today.
Speaking to the Sowetan on Saturday at the family’s home, Hendrick’s older sister Beauty Shai said they wanted answers.
“How did that person get inside the court with a knife? If they had stabbed him elsewhere I would understand.
“I don’t know if we can ever be safe if people get killed in court. It is supposed to be safe there. This makes me very angry,” she said.
Beauty recalled the horrific sight upon arriving at the court after receiving a phone call that her younger brother had been stabbed.
She said many people were gathered outside the building.
She was made to wait before entering the scene to allow the forensic unit to do their work.
“I was so shocked. There was a lot of blood,” she said.
She described how her brother who had been wearing a pair of jeans and a formal shirt – lay there dead and covered in blood.
Hendrick, a father of four, had been appointed as principal at Lorraine Banareng Primary in November and was involved in the local community policing forum.
He also founded a political party called the Civic Warriors of Maruleng, which contested the 2016 local government elections, wining ward 12 in the area.
Beauty said they believed he was killed by people who were disgruntled with his crime-fighting efforts and the fact that he started a political party.
The local councillor for ward 12, Jeffrey Morema, said Hendrick was aware of threats against leaders within their party and had men- – tioned this during a community meeting last Thursday.
“Thursday was a prophetic day for him. He [Hendrick] said there were people who had been sent to assassinate us. So when this thing happened on Friday, I remembered what he said,” Morema said.
Morema, who said he also believed he was on the hit list, said he also feared for his life.
“As a community we are saying there should be justice. Someone must explain this death.”
Inside the house, Hendrick’s wife, Cockey Shai, 42, was sitting on a mattress wearing a dress and a doek. Cockey could not hold back tears when she spoke about the last time she saw her husband.
She said that on Friday morning she took their two-month-old daughter to the clinic, and Hendrick had picked them up from the clinic and dropped them off at home before heading to court.
She said his older children were devastated at the loss.
“He loved people and he did everything for his family. He kept us together. The person who did this must be locked up in jail for a long time,” Cockey said.