STAFF and residents at the Bill Buchanan Retirement Complex in Morningside are reeling from shock after their head chef was shot and killed after his shift on Monday afternoon.
Ernest Goge, 54, was walking with a fellow staff member along Percy Osborn Road, on his way to the Umgeni train station when the shooting occurred.
According to Captain Kephu Ndlovu, communications officer at Durban Central SAPS, an unknown man followed the chef and his co-worker. “About 100 metres away, the suspect fired shots and the 54 year-old man was fatally wounded. The bullet penetrated the right side of the victim’s neck and he died as a result of his injuries,” Ndlovu explained.
Kitchen manager, John Chlebusch expressed his shock at the chain of events which robbed the staff and residents of “a great chef.” “We are all in a state of shock and can’t believe it, the staff are walking around like zombies, they can’t fathom how something like this could happen. He finished his shift at 2.30pm and walked past my office, we chatted about pudding for Women’s Day, and he went on his way,” he said.
Chlebusch said he could not get the image of Goge’s bloodied body just a stone’s throw from were he happily said goodbye minutes earlier. “Ernest had been part of the Bill Buchanan family for about 31 years. He was about 18 years old when he started working here and had become head chef a while ago, they all loved him, staff and residents, he was a very mild person, a great chef and had a very good relationship with fellow workers.
“We are all shocked, he wasn’t politically motivated person and didn’t have enemies, he had a family of three children. This was a senseless and unnecessary crime. We feed over 400 people here and he was a big part of our Bill Buchanan family. Our residents are so sad and also want to contribute to his funeral,” Chlebusch added.
Kitchen staff members, Adelaide Nyeza and Nikizewe Mhlongo said they were very saddened by the death of their “wonderful chef.” “We don’t know why this happened, but its so sad because he was a good chef. He was friendly and everyone knew him as a good person,” they added.
Captain Ndlovu said the motive for the murder was unknown at this stage, and no arrests have been made, however a murder investigation is being conducted by Durban Central SAPS.
