‘He’s A Pastor, Not A Killer’: Family Defends Alleged Mastermind After Shocking Inxiweni School Murder Arrest

Shock, disbelief and grief continue to engulf the Tembisa community after one of the two people accused of orchestrating the brutal murders of Inxiweni Primary School’s principal and admin assistant was revealed to be a well-known pastor and DJ.

Tuki Benjamin “DJ Stunkie” Maditsi, 35, was arrested on Thursday night — just hours after he had been DJing at his late brother’s after-tears ceremony.

His cousin, Mokgadi Hope Shongwe, a financial clerk at the school, had been arrested the previous day.

Both now face charges in the shocking execution-style murders of principal Nozibele Thapu, 58, and admin clerk Nobantu Njomboni, 55, who were gunned down inside the school’s administration block last Tuesday.

‘A Sweet, God-Fearing Pastor’: Family Rejects Allegations

Maditsi’s family says the accusations defy everything they know about him. His uncle, Bongani Nkosi, who attended the after-tears event with him, said the arrests “made no sense”.

“I did not believe it then and I don’t believe it now that these two did it. With Tuki, it’s worse because we spend a significant amount of time together,” Nkosi said.

“I attend his Apostolic church, where he is a pastor, and I go to the establishment where he DJs. Tuki loves people. He has always been a sweet, God-fearing boy who loves music.”

Nkosi said the allegations have left him humiliated in public, with community members pointing him out as the uncle of the accused pair.

He said he went to court on Monday hoping to see both Maditsi and Shongwe.
“Mokgadi is a child in my eyes. How she would be involved in such corruption is shocking. They have decent jobs — why would they do this?”

Community Shock — But Old Allegations Surface

Many in eMangweni Section say they were stunned by Maditsi’s arrest. Community policing forum member Vusimuzi Vilakazi said he was at the funeral and after-tears event.

“It came as a shock because we were with him that day. Then Friday morning, social media said he was a suspect in the Inxiweni murders.”

But others say cracks had begun to show earlier. At the container where Maditsi worked as a resident soul DJ, staff described him as talented and kind — yet not without controversy.

Simon Kunene, a senior employee at the establishment, said: “Tuki has always been full of ideas and adored by many. But these allegations have hurt the business. We are shocked and waiting for the truth.”

Kunene said they had previously confronted him about two troubling incidents:

• A burglary at the establishment in which equipment was stolen — and internal investigations allegedly pointed to Maditsi as the mastermind.
• A stokvel scandal, where Maditsi was entrusted with depositing weekly contributions. According to Kunene, almost R50,000 went unaccounted for after he allegedly deposited only half of what he collected.

“We are wondering what went wrong — was it money problems, fame, or something else?” Kunene said.

What Led to the Shooting?

Residents who spoke to Sowetan after the murders said principal Thapu had knocked off for the day but returned to the school to confront Shongwe over suspected unauthorised transactions.

Moments later, two armed men reportedly entered the admin block and opened fire, killing both women.

Police arrested Shongwe soon after, and Maditsi the following night. Both are expected to appear again on 1 December.

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