The mother who admitted to leaving her children locked in a shack which caught fire has been arrested.
Melezwa Mntwini told the Daily Voice that she left her daughter Athanandi, 10, and five-year-old son Inganathi at home and went to visit her friends on Saturday night.
The shack caught fire and the trapped children were burnt beyond recognition.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirms that the 31-year-old woman had been arrested for child neglect.
He explains: “This needs to serve as a reminder that parents are the primary caregiver and custodian who are responsible and accountable for their children’s safety and wellbeing.
“We can confirm that we have indeed opened a case of child neglect in connection with the death of the two children, over and above the inquest.
“This case is investigated by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit based in Khayelitsha.
“The investigating officer on Monday arrested the 31-year-old mother of the children who faces two counts of child neglect.
“She is expected to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on mentioned charges.”
The mom previously said her sister called her at about 3am on Sunday morning about the fire.
After the deaths of her children, she said: “I left them alone at home and locked the door like I would normally do when I go out at night.
“I unplugged everything and went to my friends, because it was the weekend.
“While I was out, I got the dreaded call from my sister who informed me of the fire. I didn’t understand because there was nothing that could have caused the fire.”
She said when she got to the scene her children were still alive and screaming for help.
She said she tried to tell people to break through the iron sheets of the bedroom but no one listened to her.
The distraught mom adds: “I knew they were going to die when the flames reached the bedroom. I just couldn’t stand there and watch anymore.
“I went to my neighbours place and waited for the firefighters to come and put out the fire.”
She believed someone had murdered her children, saying: “My neighbour told me when she went outside she saw my door burning from outside.
“When I arrived, the kitchen was ablaze and that made me suspicious that it was not an electrical fault.
“And also my shack was the only place that caught fire, and we built these shacks very close to each other.”