Three brothers, Lehlogonolo, Katleho, and Tebogo Khoabane, died after eating a poisoned energy drink supplied to them by their father, according to South African police.
The three boys, ages 16, 13 and 6, perished in Heidelberg, Gauteng, on Thursday morning, May 26. A fourth sibling is in critical condition in the hospital, while a fifth refused to drink.
The father allegedly gave his five sons the poisoned drink, which four of them drank when they arrived at school, according to reports.
The man is also suspected of giving the same alcohol to a dog that died the next morning and then attempting suicide.
The lads were students at Ratanda Primary and Khanya Lesedi Secondary Schools in Ratanda, according to Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi.
“Four of the aforementioned students drank the energy drink when they arrived at school on Thursday. Unfortunately, two of the students died soon after complaining of stomach aches, and one was transported to the local hospital but died on the way. “The fourth sibling is in severe condition in the hospital, while the fifth sibling, thankfully, did not swallow the energy drink,” Lesufi said.
He conveyed his sincerest condolences to the family, particularly the mother, of the deceased pupils.
“I further extend my condolences to friends, fellow pupils and teachers of the pupils, especially those who had witnessed these tragic incidents,” Lesufi added.
He said, at this stage, it is not known what led to the deaths and law enforcement agencies are investigating circumstances surrounding the deaths.
However, a family representative, Johannes Khoabane, said the man has apologised for poisoning his children.
Khoabane said the father was recovering in hospital after the attempted suicide, adding that he is under police guard.
Speaking outside the family home in Ratanda on Friday, Khoabane said: “The nurses that were helping us at the clinic say he apologised. They said he is apologising. He says he doesn’t know what he was doing.”
Khoabane added that the family didn’t know why the man would want to kill his children.
“We have no idea what happened. All of us want to know what happened. We asked his wife and she said they had not fought. I don’t know what happened. The only person who knows is him. We are stuck, he must tell us why he did that.” he added.
