Provincial police spokesperson, Motantsi Makhele tells OFM News that the mother of five who resides in Phamong Village left her marital home recently due to challenges encountered in her marriage. She returned to her parents’ home with all five children in tow, which is according to Makhele, where the tragic incident occurred.

The provincial police spokesperson reveals that on Saturday at 15:20 pm the mother to the deceased found her daughter and her five grandchildren lying unconscious inside the house. Emergency medical personnel were called in. The 29-year old woman and two of her children ages “9 and 6 were declared dead at the scene. The other three children survived and are still under medical treatment at a local hospital” says Makhele.

Tseki police have opened an inquest docket and investigations are currently underway. The exact poison ingested has not be confirmed by Makhele.

In February of 2020, a similar incident was reported in Makgalaneng Village, QwaQwa, also in the Free State. A 31-year old mother reportedly fed her two children ages 4 and 7 poison and then thereafter ingested the poison herself. The two children were declared dead on the scene, whilst the 31-year old woman died later in hospital. Elsewhere in the country, in August 2020, a Mpumalanga woman intentionally laced her own food with rat poison committing suicide. Her two children also died from the poison. Police reported at the time that she had not intended for her two children to die as well, and that was deemed accidental.

OFM News