Scandal keeps getting worse

He was one of the thousands of Irish charity workers across the globe who have dedicated themselves to making life better for people less fortunate than us.

The former school principal worked for Mellon Educate in South Africa, helping to build schools and train and develop local teachers. He was described as a visionary leader who was very much loved.

But he was found dead on Wednesday – killed in what appears to have been a random robbery just days before he was due to come home. And his murderers seem to have just stolen his mobile phone.

We cannot imagine the pain his loved ones must be feeling. But this is a tragedy felt by so many, including all the children he could have helped lift out of poverty through education.

He would have been aware of Cape Town’s violent reputation – the city’s murder rate has been soaring thanks to a combination of poverty, poor policing and easy access to guns.

But he sacrificed his safety to prioritise the needs of the young people struggling to survive and, perhaps, escape the cycle of violence.

John Curran was helping to build a better world – his murderers were just intent on destruction. His was a sacrifice in the truest sense of the word. THE scandal of the delayed cervical slides demanded back by distraught women, will not go away.