Two-year-old allegedly bitten to death by rats
"The child was bitten all over his face, it was like something was eating his face."
The family of a two-year-old boy, who was allegedly bitten to death by a rat, said they were still struggling to come to terms with his death.
Thabang Tsoko of Ramotse village in Temba (Hammanskraal) was allegedly attacked by the rat while sleeping last week Friday.
His lifeless body was found by his mother the next morning.
“The family suspects that he was bitten by a rat while sleeping and because of an illness he was unable to move or cry,” said police spokesperson Sergeant Herman Moremi.
Thabang’s aunt, Evelyn Tsoku, said he was still well when he went to bed the previous night.
Evelyn said she heard the boy’s mother screaming and calling her to come to her room, and they were shocked to find what appeared to be wounds on his face.
“When I got there she was crying, and the child was bitten all over his face; it was like something was eating his face. The child did not cry at night, and we thought he was just sleeping.”
How Thabang died left the family with many unanswered questions, according to his aunt.
“We do not know what time this might have happened. Another strange thing is that there was no blood where he was sleeping.”
Evelyn said the family did not want to rule out the possibility of witchcraft; however, they were waiting for the post-mortem to tell them what happened.
“We haven’t received it yet.”
She said Thabang’s mother was struggling to accept his death.
“She is not well, she doesn’t know what to do. She was recently in the hospital and just when she came back, she loses her child,” she said.
“My heart is broken. I struggle to even sleep at night because we still ask ourselves what would have eaten him like this. We are thinking that this might happen again because we have other children in the house.”
On Tuesday, Temba police along with the local CPF and Makopo Constructions visited the family to donate 10 blankets and groceries that can assist them.
Moremi said the Temba station commander, Brigadier Johannes Tau, was touched by Thabang’s sudden passing.
“He wants the police to assist in whatever way they can so that the family can bury the child with dignity.”
Moremi said the police were investigating the case and were still waiting for post-mortem results to confirm the cause of death.
ALSO READ: West dance school seeks funds to perform on international stage
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
