Two children die in shack fire while parents allegedly out drinking

A couple has been arrested after two small children died in a shack unsupervised.

Reitz police arrested the 23 and 25-year-old parents at their Petsana informal settlement dwelling after the couple returned to inspect the scene of a fire.

The pair has been charged with child neglect and appeared in the Reitz Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Parents allegedly out drinking

Authorities were called to the scene of a shack fire in the north-eastern Free State town on Saturday evening at roughly 10pm.

The bodies of an 18-month-old boy and a seven-month-old girl were later found in the charred debris.

Officers on the scene soon discovered that the parents left the children unsupervised in the shack while they went out socialising.  

“While at the drinking venue, the couple was informed by a community member that their shack was on fire. They rushed back to the scene and found police and shocked community members already there,” confirmed Free State police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring.

“The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Police have opened cases of inquest and child neglect for investigation,” Mophiring added.

Kidnapping suspect arrested in KZN

In a separate incident in KwaZulu-Natal, a woman was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a two-week-old baby.

The baby was reported missing on Sunday night, with authorities tracking down a 21-year-old suspect at a location between Westville and Cato Manor the following day.

The suspect was arrested heading towards a well-known shopping centre where she was found in possession of the infant.

Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) relayed how the suspect allegedly befriended the mother of the child a year earlier at a medical facility.

“She kidnapped the child after visiting the mother’s residence in Cato Manor. She then fled with the baby and contacted her boyfriend, convincing him that she had given birth to a healthy baby girl,” stated Rusa on Monday.

“The boyfriend arrived on scene and informed reaction officers that he was unaware that his girlfriend had kidnapped the child,” Rusa concluded.

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