'I held and kissed him for the last time' - Gran relates final moments

“Stand up, Otha, Stand up,” screamed a six-year-old boy as his friend lay on the ground motionless after they ate snacks they bought from a taxi rank. 

The boy's mother recalled how her son was terrified as he tried to wake his friend up.

On Wednesday afternoon, four children went out to buy two packs of snacks from the nearest taxi rank situated inside the South Deep Gold Fields Mine compounds in Westonaria, on the West Rand.

Two children died, while another duo is still fighting for their lives in hospital. 

The mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of her child, said she had been lying in bed when she heard her son’s loud cry and peeped through the curtain. 

“The kids were at the gate but something did not sit right with me when I heard him crying. I heard my son say: ‘Stand up, Otha [Othalive], Stand up’. I went out and told him to stop dragging Otha because they are almost the same age. He told me his friend didn’t want to stand up. 

“I then told Otha to stand up but when I came a bit closer, I saw that he was breathing with difficulty. I told the kids nearby to quickly go to his home to call his mom,” said the mother, who said her son was still recovering in hospital.

“We thought maybe the heat was the problem, so we started sprinkling water all over him. We tried to feed him milk but he wouldn’t budge.” 

She said Otha’s eyes were rolled back, he was unresponsive and was rushed to Mandela Clinic in Bekkersdal, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Otha’s grandmother, Nolwazi Nkatshuka, said she was at work when she received the call about his condition.  

“I was called by my older daughter who told me that the child did not seem to be feeling well. It was just before 4pm. I was so heartbroken when we were told that he had passed away. I held him close to my chest and kissed him one last time. 

“He seemed to be a lover of life and loved playing with other kids. My favourite moments with him were when he was going to daycare. He would say so many goodbyes and tell me he was going to school. Whenever he wanted food, he would be assertive on what he specifically wanted to eat,” said Nkatshuka.

Around the same time, the Mayeye family were also trying to figure out why their two-year-old son, Azingce, was foaming through his mouth and nose. 

Azingce’s grandmother, Nokuphila Mayeye, said: “One of the kids had the snacks in their hands when she also heard him crying outside. We rushed him to the clinic and they told us he was no more.

"What hurts me is that the person they bought from first denied ever selling to them, saying they got it from the compounds but there is no one selling there.  

“He then admitted at some point and said he sold them two packs of snacks and gave them two sweets but he didn’t see what happened after they ate them,” said Mayeye.

ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za