The owner and two employees of the Myne Maatjies day-care centre in Randfontein were released after being detained on Thursday..

“They will not be appearing in court as they were taken in for questioning and released,” police spokesperson Col Lungelo Dlamini said on Friday.

The three were arrested after videos of toddlers being “slapped” and “hit” with a broom were shared on social media.

Parents were fuming after seeing what had allegedly happened to their children and on Friday, the front gate to the creche lay damaged in the driveway. 

In one of the videos, the children are seen playing close to a jungle gym. A woman carrying a broom runs after one child and purportedly hits the child over the head. She walks away and continues sweeping the stoop.

In a second video, a woman is seen changing a child's nappy. A crying child is seen in a feeding chair behind her. A second woman walks towards the child and appears to hit her several times.

She then lifts the crying child out of the feeding chair and walks away with her. It is unclear where they go or what happens next.