Orphanage employee arrested over poisoning

AN orphanage house mother is at the centre of an investigation into the mass poisoning of children in her care.

The woman was arrested on Friday as she arrived at the Malerato Centre for Hope in Mamelodi, Pretoria.

The woman, who will appear in court tomorrow, was arrested in connection with the alleged poisoning of 16 children, aged between two and seven, on Thursday.

The centre is home to 42 abandoned children and some whose parents have died of Aids.

The sick children were originally thought to have succumbed to food poisoning when they fell ill while eating lunch.

Five of the 16, who were all hospitalised, were reported to still be in a serious condition in hospitals across Gauteng.

Police spokesman Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng confirmed the 58-year-old woman’s arrest.

“She has been charged with assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm.”

He declined to comment about what the motive might have been.

The alleged poisoning occurred soon after senior staff left to attend a foster-care court hearing in Mamelodi.

The orphanage’s principal, Johanna Mashapa, said: “We were so worried. They were vomiting and crying. They had runny stomachs and were so sick.”

Mashapa said the police told the orphanage managers that the children did not have food poisoning.

“When they told us what they suspected I could not believe it. Why would someone want to do this? Why would they want to hurt these little babies?”

Mashapa said they had been told that the woman had given each child a powder with their lunch.

She said the centre’s administrators believed the woman was angry with them. “We think it has something to do with payments.”

Centre manager Dikeledi Jacobs said the woman had been hired four months ago.

“I did not know she would do this,” Jacobs said.

“I heard she was angry, but I did not know why. I depended on her. She was so good with the children.”