Durban - Boys at a child and youth care centre in Pinetown are alleged to have attacked and killed their supervisor on Monday.
The supervisor, whose name is being withheld until all his relatives have been informed, was stabbed, Ncumisa Ndelu, spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, said.
Now the head of the department, Nokuthula Khanyile, has ordered an urgent internal investigation into what went on at the Excelsior centre, a facility for “children in conflict with the law”.
“We will work with the police to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” Khanyile said.
While the exact sequence of events is still unclear, it is understood workers at the centre had been on strike.
“We don’t know how many people were striking as it was illegal: the Department knew nothing about it,” Ndelu said.
Even more disturbing were allegations the striking workers had blocked the entrance when paramedics arrived to give care to the supervisor, Khanyile said.