The Bonteheuwel crèche where an eight-month-old baby died earlier this year has been shut down.
Linda’s Day Care Centre was in the spotlight after little Mogammat Qiran Canterbury died unexpectedly at the facility in June.
It is believed that he had been sleeping when teachers noticed something was wrong and rushed him to the Vanguard Day Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Now, a month later, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) issued a notice of closure to the daycare.
Spokesperson for the department, Unathi Booi confirms the WCED’s intervention into the case.
“Following the death of the minor, the WCED visited the facility and issued a Notice of Enforcement for Closure on the 19th of July 2023, as it was found that the facility does not comply with the norms and standards for safety as prescribed by the Children’s Act,” Booi stated.
“The facility is not a registered early childhood development [ECD] centre with the WCED.”
According to the department, the daycare may appeal the decision as per the Children’s Act and has 10 days to do so.
The Daily Voice reached out to the daycare’s owner Linda Theunissen for comment but didn’t receive a response.
Meanwhile, Qiran’s parents have welcomed the news of the crèche’s closure, but said they still don’t know how he died as they are still awaiting his autopsy results.
Dad Tashreeq explains: “We never knew that a baby autopsy will take so long, we thought we will maybe get the results after a month.
“We wanted the teacher to tell us what happened but they never came to say anything. I guess we just have to wait until the autopsy results come.”
Spokesperson for the Western Cape’s Health Department, Megan Davids, confirmed that an autopsy was performed on Qiran but the findings have not yet been concluded.
“We can confirm that an autopsy was conducted to determine the cause of death. Once the findings are concluded, the results may only be handed over to the Investigation Officer of SAPS. In terms of the Inquests Act, we may not share the findings with any other party, as this is the mandate of SAPS,” Davids explains.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk confirms that the matter is still under investigation.
“There are no new developments to report at this stage,” he says.
Meanwhile, Qiran’s grandmother Tasneenah said Linda still hasn’t sympathised with the family.
“I don’t feel sorry [they’re closed] because she showed no remorse and the point is she could have just come to our place and give her condolences,” she added.