The KwaZulu-Natal teacher who shocked the country when he allegedly killed his wife-to-be and recorded a live social media video boasting about the tragic incident has a history of “unusual behaviour”, his colleagues have revealed.
Sbusiso Lawrence Nkaba, a teacher at Ziphozethu Primary School in KwaDukuza just outside Durban, posted the body of his bruised and bloodied girlfriend on Facebook on Tuesday night, December 17, before taking his own life.
In the video, with blood stains all over his face, Nkaba tried to justify the murder and accused Nontobeko Cele of using and later dumping him.
Provisional police said he abandoned his vehicle near the crime scene where Cele’s body was discovered.
Nkaba hailed from Umzinto in southern Kwazulu-Natal.
The police confirmed on Wednesday morning that he had hanged himself after the chilling incident.
“Reports indicate that the suspect fetched the woman, who was his girlfriend, from her home and it is suspected that the two had domestic related altercation which escalated to the murder. The suspect’s vehicle was found abandoned down the road from where the woman’s body was found, and blood on the front passenger seat suggested that the suspect killed the woman inside his vehicle,” the police said in a statement.
“A manhunt was quickly launched and an intensive search by police led to the discovery of the suspect’s body which was hanging on a tree, in what is believed to be a suicide. Police are investigating a case of murder and an inquest docket will also be opened for further investigation.”
In his video, Nkaba listed a litany of grievances he had with Cele, which gave a possible motive for the murder.
He claimed that she cheated on him and gave birth to another man’s child, but he forgave her.
Nkaba said he took Cele back and raised the illegitimate child. Despite taking her back, Cele dumped him because she was about to get a lump sum payout from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
African Times spoke to several people who knew Nkaba as a teacher. They claimed that he was a very strange fellow and that things had gotten worse in the past few months.
They further claimed that the principal of the school was planning to take him to rehab in the coming year.
“The man was behaving in a weird manner. He would come to school looking angry and he worked from his car, saying he wouldn’t go to the staff room. Everyone was shocked by that behaviour and thought it was a passing phase of personal challenges,” a person who knew Nkaba said.
Nkaba also allegedly started coming to school late, dressed shabbily and looking like he had a hangover.
“Late coming became his habit in the past few months and his dress code and conduct suggested that he was drinking the day before,” a local unionist said.
Cele’s family is yet to comment.
