Goodwood daycare child dies mysteriously in hospital

Two weeks after 22-month-old Amandla Ziqubu mysteriously died in hospital, no arrest has been made, leaving the family with unanswered questions.

The family said she was taken to the Goodwood-based Little Inocence Day Care as usual on Wednesday, July 30, without any signs of illness.   

Around 3.20pm a call came through, informing them that there was a problem with the child at the daycare.

“I was around Goodwood and reacted fast. Within three minutes, I was there. I found the principal outside, crying. She was not giving me straight answers,” said Njabulo Ziqubu, the father of the child. 

He said he found a man "rubbing the child" upon entering the daycare, and the child was unconscious.

“When I am blowing the air through the CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), you can see that the air goes down and no response. As a parent, I still had hope, and so I took her to the hospital,” he said.

He said he arrived shortly after the police arrived at the daycare.

Neither the siren nor the blue lights were activated to signal an emergency when the police escorted him to the Netcare N1 City Hospital, he added.

He also found it strange that the daycare called the police, and not the ambulance, after finding out that there was a problem with the child.

Northern News visited the daycare on Tuesday, August 12, for a response.

The principal, Oddett Innocentio, and a man who refused to give his identity showed up. The man said they did not know what happened and said they would not comment, since the matter was still under investigation.

Ms Innocentio said: “The whole experience has been extremely traumatic for the daycare, as well as for parents. My heart is just as broken. Everything is still under investigation.”

Mr Ziqubu said the child was enrolled at the daycare for only eight days before she died, after his wife recently got a new job.

He said the detective investigating the matter arrived at their house on Thursday, July 31, to get their statement and provide them with a case number. On Monday, August 4, the detective gave them a different case number, which raised more questions about the handling of the matter.

Northern News posed questions to the police about the issue of the siren, and blue lights that were not activated, the preliminary autopsy report, as well as the different case numbers that were given to the family.

Provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, said if the complainant is not satisfied with the service of the investigating officer, he/she is encouraged to make an appointment with the detective commander to raise their concerns and to have the allegations investigated.

"The matter you are referring to is still under investigation.” 

He confirmed that police were investigating an inquest case and that no arrests have been made yet.

Netcare N1 City Hospital’s general manager, Sifiso Mdluli, said that although doctors of the emergency department attempted resuscitation for approximately 50 minutes, Amandla was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital.

“We understand that it is especially painful for the family if there is uncertainty regarding the cause of their loved one’s death. We, as a hospital, cannot determine the cause of death, and there is a process that must, by law, be followed.

“Whenever a person passes away and the cause of death cannot be determined with clinical certainty, the death is certified as an unnatural death, as was done in this case. In accordance with the Inquests Act, 1959, and as part of the investigation by the State into the probable cause/s of an unnatural death, an autopsy will be conducted by an independent state pathologist,” he said.

He added that in accordance with the Inquests Act, 1959, and as part of the investigation by the State into the probable cause/s of an unnatural death, an autopsy must be conducted by an independent state pathologist. 

“In such cases, any enquiry regarding the death of the patient should be directed to the state prosecutor, via the South African Police Service,” Mr Mdluli said.

Western Cape Education Department spokesperson, Millicent Merton, said the facility is not registered with the department, and does not appear on the database for unregistered facilities in the process of registration.

"A team has been established to conduct an investigation into the matter. We are deeply saddened by the loss of a child at the early childhood development centre," she said.