Father’s stolen gun links two teens to killing

ONE of the teenagers accused of murdering a school secretary allegedly stole his soldier father’s firearm and it was found to have been used in the killing.

The two teenagers, who attend the Rabonni Christian Private School in Brits, where school fees are over R20 000 a year, allegedly murdered Esbe Koster by shooting her in the neck.

Koster had given the two teenagers a lift on Tuesday afternoon when she was allegedly forced at gunpoint to take another route. She was bound, shot in the neck and dumped in the bushes.

The car was found in Letlhabile. A motorist returning from work found her body lying in the bushes in Brits and alerted the police.

The two boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested at school and charged with murder, kidnapping and car hijacking.

Police spokesperson Mpeile Talane said Koster’s body was still intact when it was found. It was fully clothed and she still had her jewellery and spectacles.

While it has been alleged that Koster’s car was found parked at the home of the grandmother of one of the boys, Talane said it had simply been abandoned on the street.

Although there were bloodstains in the car, Talane said they had not been able to determine whether Koster was killed inside and thrown in the bushes or she was killed where her body was found.

“The murder weapon belongs to the father. We have confiscated it and investigations will tell us how it ended up in his son’s hands and whether he must be charged or not,” Talane said.

Allegations are that the teenagers took the gun to school on the day the murder was committed. At some point they were seen going to the staff room and asking Koster for some masking tape, which she gave them.

Later that afternoon, Koster gave the teenagers a lift.

It is not yet known what happened, but Koster did not return home that day and the passer-by stumbled upon her body the following day.

The following day, the teenagers, who are in Grade 9, went to school as normal and wrote their exams.

Police later arrived at the school with the bad news. The boys were questioned and apparently said Koster had given them a lift but dropped them off at the taxi rank.

The teenagers, who are both in Grade 9, were arrested at school, still in their school uniform. They appeared in court on Thursday and the matter was Wednesday.

Their parents are said to be very distraught about what happened and could not stop crying.

Yesterday, the North West Department of Education was at the school to determine what kind of assistance could be offered to the other schoolchildren, who were traumatised by the news.

Department spokesperson Freddy Sepeng said the staff were also affected by the news because it was their colleague who was murdered.

“We will also be meeting with the family of the deceased at the school on Tuesday,” Sepeng said. postponed to