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- An inmate was arrested and charged for the murder of a correctional centre official.
- Eunice Moloko was killed while on duty at the Leeuwkop Covid-19 isolation site.
- Moloko's lifeless body was discovered on the floor; her jacket covered in blood.
An inmate has been arrested and charged for the murder of a 50-year-old official at the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre.
This was revealed by Deputy Justice and Correctional Services Minister Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa on Friday afternoon.
The official, identified as Eunice Moloko, was killed on Tuesday while on duty at the Leeuwkop Covid-19 isolation site.
Her body was discovered on the floor, with her jacket covered in blood, News24 reported.
READ | Leeuwkop Correctional Centre official found dead, jacket covered in blood
She had worked at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) for 23 years.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, Bulelani Magwanishe, said it was suspected the officer had been strangled and raped.
"Within the same vicinity, a blood-stained towel was found, indicating that the perpetrator of such a vile crime had ample time to try to clean up the evidence," Magwanishe said in a statement.
Magwanishe expressed shock and sadness over Moloko's death.
"I would like to appeal to the authorities to leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrator and to deal with him harshly in terms of the law.
"I will request the DCS for a full report on this matter from the centre management of Leeuwkop," Magwanishe said.
DCS previously said an investigation had been launched.
Holomisa on Friday said that, should investigations reveal that there had been negligence on the part of the centre's management, the department would "take tough action against anyone implicated".
"We appeal to all people to allow the law to take its course and avoid speculation and apportioning blame without facts," Holomisa said.
