After nearly a month in a coma, eight-year-old Aphile Dlamini has regained consciousness.

Her twin brother, Aphelele, died last month when the siblings fell down a lift shaft from the fourth floor of their Durban apartment building while playing.

The Witness reports that Aphelele was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while Aphile was placed in a medically induced coma. Aphelele was buried in Howick a week before what would have been their eighth birthday.

Over the weekend, their father, Khaya Dlamini, shared the news on social media that his daughter had woken up.

He wrote: “Izindaba ezinhle, uAphile usephapheme, usephumile kucoma,” which means, “Good news, Aphile is up, she is out of the coma.”

Dlamini also thanked everyone for their prayers and support.

About a week ago, Dlamini had also declared in a post that Aphile would live, as her name ‘Aphile’ means live.

Speaking to The Witness a week after the incident, Dlamini said it was normal for the children to play until late on weekends, and the fall happened at around 18:00.

“Our normal Saturday evening was disrupted when neighbouring children rushed to our apartment to tell us that owele [the twins] had fallen into the lift,” he said.

He ran to the fourth floor, where the children pointed him to the closed lift door.

“When I opened it, I almost fell in myself. It was dark, and I couldn’t see the twins. I ran to the basement – it was also dark – so I used my flashlight and saw a white T-shirt that I recognised as my son’s,” he said.

“I jumped into the basement to carry them out, with help from some of my neighbours. I don’t have a car, so I asked a man who was parked outside our apartment to take my children to hospital.

“When we got there, my boy was declared dead, and they rushed my daughter to the intensive care unit.”

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