Late Alex girl's granny wants nothing to do with spaza shops anymore

The grandmother of the Alexandra girl who died after allegedly  eating chips bought from a local spaza shop says they are still shocked by her  sudden death and will do everything to protect her younger brother from meeting the same fate after he also ate the same snacks but survived.

Lesedi Mulaudzi fell ill after allegedly eating snacks she bought from the spaza shop. Her mother and four-year-old brother, who also ate the snacks, also fell ill and are still in hospital.

According to the grandmother, Bright Maaboi, both the mother and son are getting better at Edenvale Hospital where they were admitted after the incident.

Maaboi said it was important that they must now protect the younger brother to ensure what happened to his sister does not happen to him.

"We don't know how to control this situation because children eat everywhere. We can buy those snacks and don't give them pocket money but they can still go outside and play with other children who will share with them.

"But we will now start buying snacks in bundles [from reputable shops] and stop giving them [pocket] money. When they want chips they will take those we have bought and not from the streets. I always preach this message of refraining from buying in spaza shops," she said. 

Lesedi's father Joshua Maabo said his daughter complained of chest pains and struggled to breathe after eating the chips.

On the day she died, Joshua said, Lesedi had bought two packets of chips and shared them with her mother and brother.

“I found Lesedi, her mother and the little one eating the snacks and she [Lesedi] said, 'Mama, smell these chips ...  they smell funny'.

“The mother and the little one shared one packet and she [Lesedi] had her own packet. They also wanted me to taste the snacks but I said no and told them to throw them away.”

He said after 45 minutes, Lesedi said she wanted to go to the bathroom and then came back and said “papa, I am in pain". 

“I asked her to call her mother ... we then rushed her to  clinic and on the way she was complaining about her chest and that she was choking,” he said.

“And while I was busy with the child's file at the clinic, Lesedi's mother also started feeling sick and they [nurses] attended to her. We left our little child with his big brother when we went to the clinic, but I decided to call him to bring his little brother to the clinic. While they were on their way, I was called and told that she [Lesedi] was dead.”

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