By Tebogo Monama.
The Gauteng man who allegedly gave his children an energy drink laced with poison, has reportedly apologised.
Family representative Johannes Khoabane said the father was recovering in hospital. He is under police guard.
It is believed that he attempted suicide after he gave the children the spiked drink.
Lehlogonolo Khoabane, 16, Katleho Khoabane, 13, and Tebogo Ngcongwane, 6, died. A fourth sibling is fighting for his life in hospital and a fifth didn’t have the drink.
Speaking outside the family home in Ratanda on Friday, Khoabane said: “The nurses that were helping us at the clinic say he apologised. They said he is apologising. He says he doesn’t know what he was doing.”
Khoabane added that the family didn’t know why the man would want to kill his children.
“We have no idea what happened. All of us want to know what happened. We asked his wife and she said they had not fought. I don’t know what happened. The only person who knows is him. We are stuck, he must tell us why he did that.”
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited the children’s schools on Friday.
He said: What happened here is painful. I am here to get the report so I can take it to the family. These kids died in our hands.
Lesufi encouraged fellow pupils to deal with their grief and seek help.
“You are also affected, my children. It can’t be usual that we lose three children at the same time. It can’t be usual that we’re dealing with this.
“I want you to extend these words to you: remain strong my children.”
“Please don’t be scared to raise your hand and say I need help,” he added.
Pupils at the schools have been offered psycho-social support.
Preliminary reports shows that the father gave all of his five children energy drinks in the morning while they were preparing for school.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said they had opened cases of murder and attempted murder.
Muridili said when police arrived at the children’s home, they found the boys’ father unconscious in the house.
“He was taken to hospital under police guard as it is alleged that he might be involved in the alleged poisoning of his children,” she said in a statement.
Muridili said police would wait for the post-mortem results which would determine the exact cause of the children’s deaths.