Cape Town — “Dad, I’ll be graduating on Friday. Please come watch me. I will be speaking English and they say parents must be there. Please attend,” was the text message five-year-old Siyabonga Mnisi sent to his father on Monday to come to his graduation ceremony.
Siyabonga died on Wednesday after he had allegedly bought and consumed chips from a spaza shop located in Diepkloof, Soweto, leaving his family and the broader community devastated that another life was lost due to foodborne illnesses.
Following his death, Siyabonga’s parents have expressed their sadness at their child’s death, with his mother, Thandeka Ndalimane, suing the doctors only examined him for a few minutes when he arrived in hospital, EWN reported.
“His last breath was when we got to the hospital because when we were on our way to the hospital he was gasping for air. When we got there he was almost gone,” she said, adding that the doctors took just two to three minutes to declare him dead.
The bereaved family of Siyabonga Mnisi (5) from Diepkloof, (Mother is number 2 from left) pic.twitter.com/YuMxv7LZme
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) November 21, 2024
According to TimesLIVE, Thandeka said she was home when her son and his friends went to buy snacks from the spaza shop. She said the neighbours called her to tell her he was not feeling well.
“He told me his stomach was sore. He was very weak. He couldn’t even walk. I carried him and brought him to the house, called an Uber and took him to the clinic.”
Siyabonga’s dad, Samuel Mnisi, said his son had messaged him asking him to attend his graduation, which he was looking forward to. Samuel said his son was excited to go to grade 1 next year and that he had already prepared for his son’s graduation.
“I paid for the graduation, bought him his traditional attire and made arrangements [at work] for me to be present during his big day. I was planning to knock off at 10am so I could spend time with him,” he explained.
Siyabonga’s school postponed the graduation in honour of him.
#YNews: The #Diepkloof spaza shop owner, where 5-year-old #SiyabongaMnisi bought snacks from and died, has been arrested.
Angry community members have vowed to ensure that the shop remains closed and plan to shut down other foreign-owned shops, across the country. pic.twitter.com/d9jNDIZpq3
— Y (@Yfm) November 21, 2024
Gauteng Economic Development MEC, Lebogang Maile, visited the family to give his condolences and condemned the situation, stating that disrespect from the shop owners should not be tolerated because it endangered the lives of children.
“Maybe they will see from the community’s uproar, they will receive a good message from them. And then maybe they will take a step further and something about this,” he said.
Picture: Facebook/Oscar Masiya
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Matthew Petersen
