By Buziwe Nocuze
A Khayelitsha mom whose children died on 13 April when her shack burnt down while she was out with friends has been granted R800 bail.
Athanandi Mntwini, 10, and her brother Ingakuthi, 5, from the Msindweni informal settlement, screamed for help as the shack burnt down but residents could not save them.
Their mother, Melezwa Mntwini, 31, said it was not the first time that she had left her kids alone when going out with friends.
She believed that her kids were killed by someone who started the fire as it was only her shack that was destroyed
Melezwa was arrested on 15 April and charged with two counts of child neglect.
She was denied bail when she first appeared at the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on 16 April but appeared again on Tuesday 23 April and was granted R800 bail.
Nobuzwe Thimba, a family member, said they do not know when they are going to bury the kids.
“Melezwa feels sorry for what has happened, she thinks about her kids all the time,” said Thimba.
The family spent the money they collected for DNA tests on her bail.
“We are back to square one,” said Nobuzwe.
“The DNA money was R1,700 for both kids. But now we don’t have that money anymore because we have to pay R800 for her bail. We don’t know how and when we will get the money for the DNA.”
The family’s wish is to bury the children in Centane, Eastern Cape.
“They have suffered enough. They died crying and asking to be saved, and now they are spending time at the mortuary. We need help. We wish to bury them with dignity, but we don’t have money. We need someone who has the means to assist us,” said Nobuzwe.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Melezwa’s case has been postponed until 19 June for further investigation.
Pictured above: Athanandi Mntwini and her brother Ingakuthi died in a shack fire.
Image source: File
