A beloved teacher and union leader was ruthlessly gunned down along with a friend in what police are calling an “execution-style” shooting. 

37-year-old educator and South African Democratic Teachers Union secretary Thabisco Ngobe and an unidentified friend were found dead Wednesday night along Sukani Road near White River. Both had been shot multiple times.

“It was like an execution,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala. “They were clearly targeted and killed in cold blood.”

Ngobe was a pillar in his community, both as a civics teacher moulding young minds and through tireless work with the teachers’ union. His senseless murder has left colleagues reeling.

“He fought every day to better this community, and this is how he’s repaid,” lamented fellow teacher Nomsa Mtshali. “Our hearts are broken.”

With the motive unknown, police are investigating all leads as they hunt the ruthless killers.

“Rest assured we will find those responsible for this horrific crime,” Mohlala vowed. “Justice will be served for these innocent lives so tragically cut short.”

Police urge anyone with information to come forward immediately. As for Ngobe’s grieving family and students, they are left struggling to comprehend the violent end to a life devoted to progress and peace.