A 48-year-old social worker is fighting for her life in hospital after she was allegedly stabbed in the back by a client at the Department of Social Development’s offices in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.
The attack happened on Monday morning at the department’s King Sabata Dalindyebo office complex. A 37-year-old woman, who was reportedly a client of the department, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.
The injured social worker was in a critical condition on Tuesday. The department said she was receiving medical care while colleagues and officials tried to support her family and the staff members who witnessed the attack.
The incident reportedly followed a dispute about the removal of the suspect’s two children. According to information from people familiar with the matter, the children had been taken into care after they were deemed unsafe in their mother’s presence. The Department of Social Development has not disclosed details about the children or the decision because the matter involves minors.
The children remain in a safe space under the department’s care.
The woman allegedly entered the Mthatha office angry and threatening violence against officials. An insider said she threatened to kill people at the department before leaving the building and returning a short time later.
The insider said the knife was not with her when she first made the threats. She allegedly returned carrying a knife and attacked the social worker, stabbing her in the back.
“She said she wanted to kill all the officials of the department in the Mthatha office. The knife looked new, which I suspect she bought for the purposes of carrying out the attack.”
The stabbing reportedly caused panic inside the office as officials tried to respond to the attack. The social worker who was injured was not the person assigned to the woman’s file and was not responsible for the decision to remove the children, according to the department.
That detail has added to the shock among staff members. The worker who was allegedly attacked was reportedly not the official dealing directly with the child-protection matter.
Police arrested the 37-year-old woman after the incident. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said the suspect would appear in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court soon.
“The motive for the offence is unknown at this stage,” Gantana said.
The charge of attempted murder remains an allegation until proved in court. The suspect is entitled to a fair trial, and investigators will need to establish exactly what happened before, during and after the stabbing.
Police are expected to gather statements from officials who were present, examine the scene and establish how the suspect entered the building with the weapon. They may also investigate the reported threats made before the attack and whether anyone had raised security concerns before Monday’s incident.
The Department of Social Development confirmed that the woman who allegedly attacked the social worker was one of its clients but declined to discuss confidential details about the family’s circumstances.
Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta condemned the attack and said employees should not face violence while carrying out work that often involves difficult decisions and vulnerable families.
“We strongly condemn this violent attack on one of our dedicated employees. Our social workers serve communities under difficult circumstances and should never be exposed to violence while performing their duties.”
Fanta wished the injured worker a full recovery and said the department would provide support to her and her colleagues.
“We wish the injured social worker a speedy and complete recovery and assure the employee and colleagues that the department will provide the necessary support.”
The attack has left department employees distressed. Social workers often deal with child-protection cases, family disputes and decisions involving children who may be at risk. Those decisions can cause intense anger and grief, but officials say threats and violence cannot be accepted in public offices.
Fanta urged department employees to remain alert and report security concerns, suspicious behaviour or threats through the correct internal and law-enforcement channels.
She also called on members of the public to remain calm while police investigate. The department said violence, intimidation and threats had no place in public institutions.
The building’s security arrangements are now being reviewed. The department said it was engaging the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, which owns or manages the office complex, to identify gaps and introduce urgent improvements.
“The safety of our employees and service users remains a priority. We are working together with the Department of Public Works to identify security gaps and implement appropriate interventions.”
Fanta added:
“No employee should feel unsafe in the workplace, and no member of the public should be exposed to unnecessary danger while accessing government services.”
The review is expected to consider access control, screening procedures, security staff, emergency responses and how threats are recorded and escalated. Officials will also need to consider how social workers can meet clients safely when emotions are high and cases involve children being removed from their homes.
The department has made peer support and psychosocial assistance available to staff members affected by the incident. Colleagues who witnessed the stabbing or assisted afterwards may need counselling as they return to work.
The children at the centre of the dispute remain in a place of safety. The department has not released their identities or details about their current care arrangements, and members of the public are urged not to speculate about the family or circulate information that could identify them.
The decision to remove children from a parent’s care is made through child-protection processes designed to protect minors who are considered at risk. The details of the case involving the arrested woman have not been placed before court, and no conclusions can be drawn about the family’s private circumstances.
What is confirmed is that a social worker was seriously injured at a government office, a suspect was arrested and police opened an attempted-murder case. The motive has not yet been confirmed by investigators.
The court appearance will provide the first opportunity for the accused to hear the charge formally. The State will then have to decide how to proceed while continuing to investigate the attack.
The incident has also raised broader concerns about the safety of frontline public servants. Social workers, nurses, teachers and other officials often work directly with people facing difficult personal circumstances. They need to be able to provide services without fearing that disagreements will turn into threats or violence.
For the injured social worker’s colleagues, the immediate priority is her recovery. For the department, the next steps include supporting staff, protecting the children involved and working with Public Works to strengthen security at the Mthatha office.
For police, the task is to establish the full facts and present the evidence before court. The attempted-murder charge is serious, but the outcome will depend on the evidence and the legal process.