Child dies after eating poisoned sandwich
A child has died and four others were admitted to hospital in a serious condition after they ate poisoned sandwiches given to them by a stranger.
|||Johannesburg - A child has died and four others were admitted to hospital in a serious condition after they ate poisoned sandwiches at the OR Tambo informal settlement in Randfontein.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said the incident happened on Sunday afternoon.
“The children are aged between four and 10 years old. They were given the sandwiches by a stranger.
“After some time the children began vomiting with one of the children eventually vomiting to death,” Makhubele said, adding that the other four were rushed to hospital.
He appealed to parents to teach their children not to take any thing from strangers.
“Parents and teachers must emphasise the dangers of forming a relationship with unknown persons. They must teach their children not to talk to or take anything from someone they don’t know,” Makhubele said.
He warned that anyone found and proven, following investigations, to have purposely given poisoned food to children will feel the full force of the law.
Makhubele added that a case of murder and attempted murder had been opened.
Last week at least 60 children from three different schools were hospitalised after ingesting sweets taken from a stranger in the Joburg south suburb, The Hill. The children experienced stomach pains, nausea and vomiting.
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the sweets were believed to be laced with drugs.
All the children, including two who were in serious condition, have been subsequently released from hospital.
At the time Lesufi said they were treating the matter very seriously. “We are working with police and the children have been able to describe the suspect to us.”
He added that he was deeply concerned about the situation and could not understand why someone would do this to children “at school”.
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The Star