The police are investigating the death of two girls, aged three and four years, who died after allegedly consuming items bought from one of the local shops outside the multi-purpose centre in Mokwallo, Vredefort.
The police opened an inquest for investigation after the two children were certified dead at the center on Wednesday, 18 October.
Lt Gen. Baile Motswenyane, Provincial Commissioner of Free State police, appeals to the community to give investigators the opportunity to do a thorough investigation on the matter.
Motswenyane urged the investigator not to leave any stone unturned and to follow on any leads, especially the consumption trend of the two children in the past 24 hours.
A video showing the residents demanding the owner of the shop to open so that they can check for expired food was circulating on social media. The police have appealed to the community to not jump to any conclusions without any tangible evidence on hand.
“We want to assure the community of Mokwallo that as soon as the post-mortem process has been completed and the results thereof proves that any specific person must carry the responsibility for their deaths, that individual will face the full might of the law,” said Motswenyane.
No one has been arrested yet.
The Public Order Police (POP) members are monitoring the situation and will remain in the area until the community is calm.
