An Alex woman is under police guard in hospital pending a court appearance on two charges of murder and one of attempted murder by poisoning of her children last weekend.
The case was set for 10 March, when and if she recovers. It mirrors one recently reported in Alex News’ Horror poison kills family, week ending 5 February, when a father in Extension 7 killed himself and two of his children, also through food poisoning. A third child is said to still be recovering.
Click here to read: SHOCKING: Father kills family with poison
In the latest case, Ntabiseng Meyiwa (37) of 3rd Avenue is undergoing treatment at Edenvale Hospital after allegedly poisoning porridge which she ate and gave to her children. Two of them died as a result and another is said to be critical in the same hospital.
The court heard that at about 12.30pm on 27 February, Alex police received a call from the accused’s neighbour claiming that the accused had killed her own children. On arrival, police found Owami (6) and Nqobile Meyiwa (1) lying still on a bed, and the mother and another daughter (whose age was not revealed but is said to be young) were frothing at the mouth.
An ambulance took them to the hospital for treatment. Little Owami and Nquobile were declared dead and taken to a government mortuary.
Click here to read: Man in custody for allegedly poisoning co-workers’ tea
The neighbour said the accused, who is employed by Shoprite Checkers in Randburg, had told her that she had administered the poison to kill herself and the children as she was struggling to fend for them.
The accused also wrote a suicide note, which was submitted to court, in which she notified her relatives that life was bad for her, that she had failed her children, it was burdensome for her to be asking for help and she was tired of the anger and stress resulting from insults she received when asking for help.
The letter said she opted to die with the children rather than leave them behind to be a burden to others. She identified the poison as aliphiri (sun won’t set), said to be a banned substance used to kill rats.
The Alex Police Station commander, Colonel Nhluvuko Zondi, said she hoped others won’t emulate the incident. “I hope it won’t be adopted as a fashionable way to take one and others’ lives when faced with problems which should be resolved through seeking help.”
Click here to read: Sad to poison innocent little souls, say readers
Zondi warned those who killed, especially children, by poisoning that they would be charged with murder. She also urged residents to report those who sold the banned substance, to the police.
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