Two babies die under mysterious circumstances at KZN crèche

It is not yet clear what led to the deaths of two babies at a crèche in Weza, near Harding, KwaZulu-Natal, on March 22, leading to Harding police opening inquest dockets, South Coast Herald reports.

The story came to light this week after a man living in the area said he had not seen any reports about the toddlers’ deaths in the papers. He said the children, a boy and a girl, had apparently been sleeping when they began having trouble breathing. “They were taken to a local clinic where they died,” said the man.

READ MORE: 6-month-old baby dies at crèche in Tembisa

Police spokesman Captain Gerald Mfeka said Harding police received a complaint on Thursday morning, March 22, concerning two children who had died at the Weza Clinic.

“A boy aged two months and a girl aged four months had become ill at the Weza crèche and were rushed to the Weza Clinic. On their arrival at the clinic, both the children were certified dead,” he said.

Postmortems were conducted and toxicology samples were sent to the laboratory for testing. Police are awaiting the results.

Captain Mfeka confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) that the crèche had not been closed, and the matter was still under investigation by Harding detectives. No arrests have been made.

The office of the department of social development in Harding could not be reached for comment.

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.