Investigation Launched into Poisonous Food Incident
Police have launched an investigation into the deaths of four Gauteng learners who allegedly consumed poisoned food, reports SABC News. The Gauteng Education Department confirmed the learners died in Soweto, with three attending Karabo Primary School and one from Khauhelo Primary School. A grade-one boy is in the ICU. In a separate case, an eight-year-old boy from Khauhelo Primary School also passed away after eating snacks purchased from a spaza shop in Naledi. Department Spokesperson Steve Mabone said, "Police are investigating these tragic events' circumstances. The department, alongside the affected schools, has provided necessary psychosocial support and counselling to the families and school communities."
South Africa Brings Home Children of Incarcerated Mothers
The Department of Social Development has reported successes in its ongoing initiative to repatriate distressed children born to South African women incarcerated in prisons worldwide, reports IOL. Some mothers were convicted of drug trafficking while pregnant. In March, IOL revealed that a toddler born in a prison in Dakar, Senegal, was brought back to South Africa to be raised by her family in the Eastern Cape, with her grandmother designated as her guardian while her mother serves her sentence in Senegal. Department Spokesperson Lumka Oliphant recently confirmed that a child has also been repatriated from the Philippines, where the mother is currently imprisoned. These children are integrated into their designated families through government efforts.
Riverlands Dam Disaster Classified as Provincial Disaster
The Riverlands dam disaster, which followed extensive flooding two months ago, has now been declared a provincial disaster, reports EWN. On August 8, floodwaters from four collapsed dams on a nearby farm caused significant damage to homes and municipal infrastructure in the small town outside Cape Town. Over 200 displaced residents sought shelter with relatives, a church, or a community center. The Department of Water and Sanitation's preliminary report identified the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development, which owns the land where the dams were located, as being partly responsible. Although much of the floodwater has dried up, the stench of sewage persists in parts of the Riverlands. The National Disaster Management Centre issued the disaster classification.
