Lothair school death claims found baseless after probe
Claims of child deaths spark panic, but investigation reveal inconsistencies, shifting identities, and no official confirmation.
LOTHAIR – Last week, Highvelder reported online about disturbing claims that several children had died following a suspected food-related incident at a school in this town.
Allegations spark panic
It was alleged that children who had purchased fat cakes at the school had fallen ill, with one learner dying there.
According to information received, other learners were transported by ambulance to the Ermelo Provincial Hospital, and later to Witbank Hospital, where they reportedly died.
These allegations, made by a woman initially identified as the mother of the deceased children, sparked widespread concern among parents and the public.
Authorities contacted to verify claims
Highvelder immediately launched an investigation, reaching out to various authorities for verification.
Among those contacted were the Lothair police; the provincial ambulance services’ station manager in Lothair, Bafana Ngoza; and the Department of Education (DoE), both provincially, represented by Jasper Zwane, and locally by Trinity Makhubele.
The publication was also approached by sister Charity Mafhungo, a co-ordinator of the Centre for Communicable Disease Control (CDC) in the Msukaligwa sub-district, who sought further information about the allegations.
Conflicting identities and shifting narratives raise doubts
Following the initial report, Highvelder arranged a meeting with Johanna, the woman at the centre of the story.
She was accompanied by her employer, Rhoda Kirsten, and Kirsten’s husband Jaco.
During this meeting, Johanna clarified that she was the grandmother, not the mother of the children involved.
When asked why Kirsten had initially referred to Johanna as the mother, Kirsten responded that it was a cultural thing, a statement Highvelder firmly rejected, as such a misrepresentation significantly altered the context and gravity of the original reports.
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Had this been made clear from the outset, initial reporting would have applied much more caution and a very different tone, and the actual parents would also have been contacted.
More strikingly, Johanna stated that only one grandchild, a 12-year-old girl, had allegedly passed away, contradicting earlier reports by Kirsten that two of Johanna’s children and a third child had died.
When questioned about these discrepancies, Kirsten insisted that she had always said two children had died, Johanna’s grandchild and another unrelated child from the school.
However, Highvelder pointed out that earlier communication between the publication and Kirsten on WhatsApp had referred to two deceased children linked directly to Johanna, while a third child was later mentioned as having allegedly died at the school.
Kirsten had even described burial arrangements being made for both of Johanna’s ‘children’ and stated that only one of the bodies had been released, strongly implying that both were within her immediate family.
Kirsten also prompted Johanna during the meeting to repeat a claim she had made earlier that the police had informed her the case had been postponed. Highvelder explained the typical process such cases follow, including investigation, arrest, court dates, and possible postponements, and noted that the timeline was far too short for all of this to have occurred.
Claims crumble under scrutiny
During Higvelder’s enquiries, the Lothair police responded that no such case had been opened. Similarly, Ngoza reported no records of patient transports linked to schools in Lothair on the alleged date, adding that further hospital enquiries would be initiated only once specific names or identity numbers could be provided.
To date, only the name of an alleged deceased 12-year-old could be obtained, but no identity numbers or death certificates were supplied.
The DoE, through both Zwane and Makhubele, contacted the school named by Johanna.
The principal categorically denied the allegations, adding that no food matching the description was sold on the premises, no learners were transported by ambulance, and no incident matching the claims had been reported at the school.
The principal visited Highvelder’s offices on May 19 and stated that she was flabbergasted by the allegations and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Kirsten suggested that a language barrier might have contributed to some of the confusion that arose.
To address this, Highvelder arranged for an interpreter to be present at a follow-up meeting the next day, alongside a journalist. It was said that the family would be at Avbob to finalise funeral arrangements and afterwards come to the newspaper’s offices.
Highvelder requested that the parents of the allegedly deceased child come to the meeting along with the grandmother.
The Kirstens indicated that they merely wished to assist Johanna, but no longer wanted to be part of this, as they felt it had nothing to do with them. They indicated they would transport the family to the paper’s offices for the meeting.
Johanna later sent a message to Kirsten declining further communication with the newspaper, citing personal stress and blame from her family. Neither she or any other family member attended the scheduled meeting.
The CDC’s Mafhungo informed Highvelder that after contacting Avbob funeral services in Ermelo and eMalahlene, they were told that no child’s body had been collected from Witbank Hospital, nor were there records of children’s bodies being kept on either of the premises.
When confronting Kirsten with this information, she said: “I’m not sure because the family was there. I’m driving to the office now.” No further correspondence was received.
Story unravels as facts fail to align
After exhaustive efforts to uncover the truth, it is now clear that the original claims were, at best, greatly misunderstood and, at worst, fabricated.
Due to these findings and the lack of corroboration from all involved parties, Highvelder has discontinued its investigation. We urge the public to approach sensitive claims, especially those involving children and public health, responsibly and with caution.
This concludes Highvelder’s reporting on this case unless verifiable new information emerges.
In covering this story, Highvelder made every effort to clearly separate fact from allegation. We consulted multiple reliable sources, including Charity Mafhungo of the CDC; Jasper Zwane of the provincial DoE; Trinity Makhubele of the local DoE; the provincial ambulance services’ station manager in Lothair, Bafana Ngoza; and the principal of the school involved (whose name we are withholding to protect the school). Despite these thorough enquiries, no evidence was found to substantiate the claims initially reported by Johanna to Kirsten. Stories like these, often brought in by readers, not only consume the valuable time of dedicated professionals across several departments, but also divert limited resources away from genuine public health and safety concerns. As a news organisation, we remain committed to responsible, accurate reporting and urge our community to be cautious and verify information before sharing or acting on it.
