Heatstroke claims two lives

SHARPEVILLE.- Reabetswe Mafora (2) and Mathapelo Rantsatsi (4) were last week buried after a combined funeral service that was held in Tshepiso Phase 4.
The two kids lost their lives after they failed to get out of a car they were playing in and according to their parents, it is possible that the two died of heat.
Thandi Mafora (31), who is the mother of Reabetswe wept as she struggled to explain what had happened to the children. Mafora was only able to tell Sedibeng Ster that she had left in the morning to go and make arrangements for the kids for when they go back to school.
Reabetswe’s father Kopang Nkatlo (41) says, “I left soon after Thandi left in the morning. I had some business to take care of so I asked my 12-year-old to lock himself inside the house along with his two brothers.
“I am unemployed so I am at home most of the time with my kids. What I normally do when I have somewhere to go is ask the neighbour’s child to come and watch the kids as he is a bit older. This was the case on that day.”
Nkatlo says he suspects that the next door neighbours’ son brought his little sister with.
Nkatlo states that he was surprised when he came back and saw a police van, subsequently hearing that Reabetswe and Mathapelo – the neighbour’s little girl, who were seen playing together earlier that day had gone missing.
At this time, the respective parents had already called the police who were searching for the kids and local radio stations had been tasked to urge the community to help find Reabetswe and Mathapelo.
“I took it upon myself to also go and look for the kids but there was still no luck. Little did I know that the kids had been right there under all of our noses. One of the neighbours suggested that I take a look inside the car.”
Nkatlo says that he ran to the car where he found the lifeless bodies of Reabetswe and Mathapelo. “We are still shocked. Nobody could have thought that the kids would be able to get inside that car because it is always locked.”
Reabetswe’s mother, Mamokete Rantsatsi says, “We are devastated by what happened. It is something that we can’t blame anybody for because they are just kids and as kids, they were playing. I will not blame my neighbours or anyone, if anything this tragedy has brought us together. Their loss is as horrible as ours.”