Cape Town - A woman’s screams of, “Oh my god, my boyfriend is dead. There is blood all over the place”, echoed through an apartment building in Buitengracht Street. At about 9 am on Wednesday, neighbour Dragan Kuruzovic tweeted what happened when John Curran, the outgoing director of education for Mellon Educate in South Africa, was found dead in his flat.
Kuruzovic tweeted he was woken when a woman believed to be Curran’s girlfriend found his body and started screaming she had found him dead. He said police arrived and examined the footage of security cameras, in which they saw a man hiding his face as he moved through the apartment building.
“I honestly heard people come home last night late (Tuesday), like 3.30am or so. Doors banging closed. But there are lots of tourists in my block and they’re often jollers or are by the pool because of time zones, but now I’m wondering if I heard something more,” his tweet continued.
Mellon Educate, an Ireland-based African development charity, has confirmed Curran was found dead. Police said they were investigating a case of murder.
Curran had just completed a two-year contract with the group and was on holiday in Cape Town for a number of weeks. Irish media reported that he had been set to return home to Dublin n a few days. Curran’s phone was the only item stolen from the apartment.
“I know our many volunteers and supporters will be very sad to hear this tragic news,” said Niall Mellon, chief executive of Mellon Educate.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said Curran had been found “in a pool of blood. The victim had open wounds to his head and face”.
Detectives were following up possible leads.
Every year, Mellon Educate brings volunteers from all over the world to Africa to build educational infrastructure in poor communities. To date, the charity has built 16 new schools and renovated many more.