Anger, anguish and more questions as Soweto parents process news of cause of deaths of their children

Grief-stricken families of Soweto children who died after consuming suspected poisoned snacks say the revelation of the cause of death has left them with more questions than answers, and has opened up their wounds. 

On Monday, health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that exposure to an organophosphate, which are chemical compounds used as components in pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, as the cause of the deaths of six children.

Zinhle Maama, 7, Monica Sathekge, 6, Njabulo Msimango, 7, Karabo Rampou, 8, Isago Mabote, 7, and Katleho Olifant, 7, died earlier this month after allegedly eating poisoned snacks. 

Maama's father, Dumisani Manisela, told TimesLIVE Premium the findings of the investigation leave the parents with more questions than answers.

“Someone gave them whatever they ate. It just gives us more questions — yes, we find that they ate poison, but someone gave it to them. We want to know who and how. 

“If anything this makes us angry, to find out that this so-called chemical was circulating in the community. Whatever it is, we need to know why it is on the streets, how is it that it is in the shops?” he asked.

He added there were more questions that needed to be answered, and the investigation was not giving them the closure he believed they would get. He added that since the death of their daughter, they were just pulling themselves together to get through every day.  

“It is hard, but we need to accept,” he said. 

Another relative spoke of the pain and toll the death of their child has left on the family. 

Rampou's grandmother, Nani, said her daughter was struggling to accept her child's death and she had to move to Polokwane after the funeral, as she was not coping at all. 

“She has been struggling to sleep. For the past two weeks, she hasn’t been eating properly,” she said.

Nani said she advised her daughter to go for counselling when she goes back to Naledi.

“I moved with her to Polokwane just to let her change the environment. At least now she is trying to accept it, but it has been hard for the whole family. There is nothing we can do, we just need to accept,” she said.

Rampou said she wasn’t aware of the latest findings, but said it leaves them with more questions on how the poison ended up in the snacks the children ate. 

"This entire thing is frustrating because instead of getting the answers we are looking for, we get more questions. All we want to know is by whom and how the children were poisoned," she said. 

“The organophosphate identified in this instance is called Terbufos. All six children died of Terbufos ingestion,” Motsoaledi told a news conference. 

It remains unclear how the children were exposed to the compound. 

Maganyele Masenya from the department of agriculture said organophosphate is meant to be used in fields on pests that affect crop production.

“Normally we have pest control operators who offer a service. They are registered. Those are the people who have been trained to use these particular products.

“The question is how did it end up where it is today? It is still a mystery and that's something we are still investigating,” he said.   

Last week four people were arrested after they were found trading in a banned chemical called Aldicarb. About 1,450g of the chemical was confiscated.

Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni said all four suspects were released after they paid R2,000 admission of guilt fines. He said the suspects were released as they had not been involved in the manufacture of the chemicals.

Motsoaledi said while the cause of the children's poisoning was not Aldicarb, as had been previously speculated, the granules are a dangerous substance and consumers should steer clear of them.

Aldicarb is sold on the streets despite being a banned product.

Motsoaledi told journalists that the samples that were taken via swabs in the various spaza shops in Soweto have been sent to the National Health Laboratory Service and they are still waiting for the results.

“This means that while organophosphate was found in the bodies of these children, we are still waiting to see if the same organophosphate was found in the spaza shops, so far we have not made that link.”

He said a packet of chips found in the pocket of one of the children was sent for analysis, but the results were negative.