Tragedy Strikes: Three Children Die After Suddenly Falling Ill at School
Evaton, South Africa (Al Jazeera) — The air hung heavy with grief in Evaton Township, north of Sebokeng, as black-clad mourners gathered under a makeshift marquee. Coffins lined the yard, each holding a young life cut short.
Rethabile Mokhatla, 11, Moeketsi Mokhatla, 9, and Tshepiso Tsotetsi, 9 – siblings and cousins from Evaton Primary School – were laid to rest on August 18, 2024. Their deaths, suspected to be from poisoned breakfast, have shattered a community and ignited calls for justice. But what drove a man trusted as family to allegedly commit such horror?
The tragedy unfolded on a crisp Monday morning in mid-August. The three boys arrived at school around 8 a.m., their faces pale and twisted in pain. Nausea gripped them first, followed by body aches that left them writhing. Teachers, alarmed, rushed them to a nearby clinic.
There, in heartbreaking silence, medics declared them dead on arrival. Autopsies later confirmed organ failure consistent with poisoning, pointing to the milk, pap, and biscuits they’d eaten at home just hours earlier. Whispers spread quickly: This wasn’t illness. It was deliberate.
Evaton Primary School, a cornerstone in this Vaal community, became a scene of chaos. Pupils formed a guard of honor for the funeral procession, their small uniforms a stark reminder of innocence lost. Over 100 mourners, including pastors from more than 20 churches, filled the family’s home.
Deafening cries echoed as the coffins were carried to Evaton Cemetery. “We came to celebrate their lives, but the pain is unbearable,” said one attendee, voice breaking amid the sobs.
The surviving child, just 7 years old, holds the key to the nightmare. According to family friends, the stepfather – a man who entered the mother’s life after her previous marriage – prepared the fatal meal. He allegedly laced the food, then instructed his biological son not to eat, saying the others should have it all. The boy obeyed, watching his siblings devour the tainted breakfast before heading to school.
Hours later, he alone returned home, only to learn of their deaths. His innocent recounting to investigators unveiled the plot, sparing him while targeting the three from his wife’s previous relationship.
Tensions in the household simmered long before the poison. The mother, determined not to abandon her children from her first marriage, brought them into the new union. The stepfather, reportedly resentful, clashed repeatedly with her over this. “She wouldn’t leave them for him,” a relative confided.
Sources close to the family paint a picture of escalating arguments, with the man viewing the boys as obstacles. On the day of the incident, he fled after the children left for school, leaving the boy behind. Police arrested him shortly after, charging him with three counts of murder.
Samson Sithole, a close family friend, captured the community’s outrage during the memorial. “What kind of parent does this? He fed them poison and told the fourth not to eat – imagine the trauma on that child,” he told The Star, tears streaming. “It’s a distasteful act, driven by no remorse. The pain on the surviving boy, seeing his siblings gone… it’s unimaginable.” Mourners nodded in agreement, their chants demanding the full force of the law.
The Gauteng police launched an immediate probe, treating the case as premeditated murder. “We’re investigating all angles, but the evidence points to foul play at home,” said a spokesperson from the Sedibeng SAPS. Toxicology reports confirmed high levels of a common pesticide in the food remnants, easily accessible in township households. The stepfather, in his 40s and unemployed, remains in custody as the case builds toward trial. Community leaders, including taxi operators and business owners, vowed to support the mother, who collapsed at the graveside.
Evaton, a bustling township in the Vaal Triangle, grapples with poverty and family strains that mirror this horror. Unemployment hovers at 35%, per Stats SA, fueling domestic tensions. Similar tragedies – like the 2023 poisoning of a child in nearby Vereeniging – highlight a darker undercurrent.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) expressed concern, calling for counseling at the school where 1,200 pupils now whisper about the “poisoned breakfast.” The Democratic Alliance (DA) urged a swift investigation, warning of “systemic failures in child protection.”
As the coffins were lowered, pastors invoked justice and healing. “These children were future leaders – educators, dreamers,” said Vangile Moeketsi from the Sedibeng West Department of Education. “Their loss pains us all.” The surviving boy, now in foster care, faces therapy for the trauma of witnessing – and surviving – the unthinkable.
For Evaton, the burials mark not just an end, but a rallying cry: No child should die at the hands of those meant to protect them. As the community heals, one truth emerges from the ashes of this grief: Justice must be as swift and unyielding as the poison that stole three young lives.
