The young man standing accused of murdering a teacher at a Soutpan school has beat the odds by passing all but one of his Gr. 12 subjects in the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination while in custody. He achieved this despite the dark cloud hanging over his head.
Simphiwe Mondli (20) faces a charge of murder following the death of Matefo Mphosela (35). She had been employed by the Free State Department of Education at the Kagisaong Combined School, where Mondli was a learner.
Mphosela, originally from Botshabelo, died after being stabbed with a knife on 20 October. She was attacked at her residence in Ikgomotseng, Soutpan.
The motive for the murder is still being investigated by the police.
Ndaba said after the air had been cleared, however, Mondli was allowed to write the examinations in the remaining subjects while in custody, and he managed to achieve positive results. He attained a pass in all subjects except English and is expected to write the English supplementary examination later this year.
Mondli was part of a group of 27 Gr. 12 learners who were taught Physical Sciences by Mphosela. The slain teacher also taught Physical Sciences to learners in Gr. 10 and Gr. 11, as well as Natural Sciences to Gr. 9 and Gr. 10 learners.
Mphosela has been credited for her contribution towards the school achieving good marks in Physical Sciences: 85% in 2019; 82% in 2020; and 84,2% in 2021.
Ndaba said the department had appointed a teacher to replace Mphosela.
The Kagisaong Combined School attained a 69,2% pass rate in last year’s matric examination, while for the previous year it was 79,5%.
