The two children who succumbed to alleged poisoning earlier this week have yet to be identified.
Mpumalanga police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi on Tuesday, July 30 confirmed that 10 children were still in Witbank Provincial Hospital receiving treatment.
“We pray that these children are healed, but we will investigate the inquest thoroughly,” Brigadier Hlathi said.
On Monday, July 29, pupils from Nelson Ngobeni Primary School started experiencing symptoms of illness.
One of the students returned home, and started to complain to her mother that she was suffering from nausea and that she was feeling weak.
Her mother rushed her to Bonginsimbi Clinic, where the child unfortunately succumbed to her illness.
Regrettably, she was not the last child to fall ill.
Soon 11 learners were admitted to Witbank Provincial Hospital, all showing the same symptoms.
“Our ambulances arrived at Bonginsambi Clinic and found that one boy had already passed away. There we also found a girl in critical condition. Her vital signs were rapidly diminishing and we had to perform CPR and advanced life support on the way to the hospital. Unfortunately, she succumbed to the alleged poisoning and was declared dead at Witbank Provincial Hospital. We also transported a boy to the same hospital who was in a critical condition. We would like to thank everyone involved in the treatment and transport of these children. Your help was invaluable,” said Russell Meiring, spokesperson of ER24 – the ambulance service which transported a few of the affected learners to hospital.
The learners all ranged from five to 13 years old; with six of those having been hospitalised being boys, and the remaining five being young girls.
Brigadier Hlathi, confirmed that one of the 11 learners who had been hospitalised had been discharged in the meantime.
When interviewed, the 11 children who had been hospitalised told police officials that they had eaten soya and beans at school, and chips and popcorn on their way back home.
Strangely, all of the children who have fallen ill come from Hlalanikahle, despite the school itself being in Witbank Extension 5 – leading to suspicion surrounding this case within the community itself.
“At the moment we don’t want to call it a poisoning until we know for sure what has affected these children, though we believe it may be something they ate. The investigation is still ongoing,” Brigadier Hlathi explained, “at this point in time we do not know whether the poisoning was intentional or due to negligence, or if perhaps the students all ate something on their way home that caused them to become ill.”
VIDEO: VIDEO: Brigadier Leonard Hlathi speaks about the alleged poisoning https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/133948/video-brigadier-leonard-hlathi-speaks-alleged-poisoning/
