Two children poisoned, die

MHLUMENI – Shock and grief has engulfed the community of Sitsatsaweni following the death of two children from poisoning.

The two were aged three and five.
Madeli, 3, and Seniphiwe, 5, both Matsenjwa, died on the same day just after going to bed, as confirmed by their grandfather, Simon Matsenjwa.
The incident is said to have happened last week Wednesday.
Their six year old brother is said to have watched helplessly as the family tried all they could to assist the two children.

They are said to have been made to drink milk in an attempt to dilute the poison but their condition worsened.
Seniphiwe died an hour after the poisoning while her sister passed away at the Good Shepherd Hospital.
Matsenjwa said there were about five young children at the homestead who usually had their meals together.
On this fateful day, the older children came back from pre-school and all five enjoyed a meal of rice and chicken.

For supper, all five had milk and rice and ate from the same bowl.
The deceased children, together with their older brother went to sleep in their father’s house.
About an hour after going to bed, Seniphiwe is said to have complained of stomach cramps and requested to use to the toilet.

She is alleged to have started vomiting.
While the father, Sikhumbuzo was nursing her, Madeli is said to have developed the same symptoms.
The father is said to have raised an alarm and family members responded promptly and they tried to administer first aid.

Matsenjwa said the family was shocked to realise that the older of the two had died and asked a neighbour for a vehicle to take them to Good Shepherd hospital where the younger one later died.
Although a post mortem report has shown that the two girls died of poisoning, the family and community are left with many questions.

They suspect that someone might have poisoned the children purposely but they are baffled why anyone would do such.
He said the family at first suspected that the food they ate had been poisoned but believe that if that was the case, all the children who ate from the bowl could have died.
Their father Skhumbuzo works for the Municipal Council of Manzini while the mother is employed at a firm in Matsapha.

She was not home during the incident.
The death of the children is said to have puzzled the family and the community because the children seemed to be fine when they went to sleep.

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