Two toddlers died in strange circumstances in Mamelodi last week.
The Nkosi family at Mamelodi West section D3 was on Monday still in a state of shock over the mysterious deaths of two siblings.
The deaths of Lungile (5) and Faith (3) Nkosi shocked the family and the community.
The two toddlers were playing at home on 28 February in Mamelodi West when they walked into the house with sweets.
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They asked their mother, Ria Nkosi, to unwrap the sweets for them.
The two happily licked the sweets and continued to play.
Apparently, Faith started complaining that the sweet was stuck in her throat.
Ria tried to help her to get the sweet out while rushing her to the hospital. The toddler died on route to the hospital.
Lungile started vomiting shortly after Faith was rushed to the hospital.
The neighbours were called and they tried to help him, but he died at home.
The children’s aunt, Jane Nkosi described the deaths of her sister’s children as senseless.
She said though the toddlers ate sweets, post-mortems would determine the cause of death.
“My sister did not ask them who gave them the sweets; she never thought that this would happen as we do not have enemies.”
She said she did not have money to bury the children.
“We are very poor, we do not have a burial society and we do not know what we will do. The children’s deaths have saddened and broken our hearts.”
She said the two children were close to each other as they did not attend crèche or school.
“They shared everything; they played together and when you gave one food they would always share with one another. It is sad. We never thought that they would die together.”
Mamelodi West police station commander Brigadier Lungiswa Tshayana, councillor Percy Zitha and members of the CPF visited the family to offer their support.
Zitha said he received a call in the evening and was shocked about what the family experienced.
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Together with his committee in ward 28, he would try and help the family to bury the children and said he also organised social workers and food for the family.
Mamelodi West police spokesman Captain Johannes Maheso confirmed the death of the two toddlers and said an inquest had been opened.
He said the two bodies were taken to a government mortuary for autopsy.
The family said the children would be buried in Heatherly cemetery in Nellmapius on Wednesday.
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