Police in Brits, North West opened an inquest docket for investigation following the death of two children, aged three and 10.
It is alleged that a 32-year-old woman cooked a meal of pap, chicken feet and wheat for her family, at Regorogile in Sonop, outside Brits.
Police said family members and their neighbours’ three children ate the meal before they all went to sleep.
“According to information, the children, aged between two and 17, became ill and vomited in the early hours of Saturday morning, November 18,” North West provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said.
An ambulance was called, but one of the children was declared dead at the scene.
“Other children, including the neighbours’ kids as well as the woman who cooked the meal, were taken to Brits Hospital for medical attention,” said Mokgwabone.
“Regrettably, the second child died at the hospital while two other children were later transferred to George Mukhari Academic Hospital.”
He said investigations into the matter, including the collection and testing of food samples were still underway.
Last month, IOL reported that two children on Gauteng’s West Rand died after apparently eating poisonous food obtained at a taxi rank.
That incident comes days after two children in Naledi, Soweto died, allegedly after eating biscuits from a foreign-owned spaza shop.
News of the demise of the West Rand children was confirmed by the Gauteng health department.
“The Gauteng department of health would like to confirm another incident of food poisoning which occurred on October 4, where four boys, aged two, three, four and six years, from West Rand district, allegedly consumed sweets and chips (obtained) from a vendor at West Deep in Westonaria,” the department said at the time.
“Sadly, this resulted in two of the boys (two and three years of age) being declared dead on arrival in Bekkersdal West Community Healthcare.”
IOL