Cape Town - The refusal by mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith to apologise for his comments that three children whose deaths after eating vetkoek and polony could be drug-related “is a sign he does not respect black people”.
This is the sentiment of two of the three teenagers’ families, who have since received post-mortem results indicating the boys died as a result of an insecticide in either the vetkoek or the polony - not drugs.
Pamela Copela, sister of the late Athule Makonzi, 15, told the Cape Times yesterday that Smith should apologise for his remarks.
Last week, a grieving Neziswa Mtamzeli, mother of Khanyisa Mtamzeli, 17, said she was waiting for Smith to apologise unconditionally, or else she would sue him.
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Khanyisa, Athule and Mzingisi Gobecimele, 17, died on August 27, apparently after eating the vetkoek the previous day.
Their friend Athabile Simayile, 17, who shared the meal, survived and was discharged from Somerset Hospital four days later.
On August 31, Smith wrote on the City of Cape Town’s safety and security WhatsApp group that police had indicated the deaths did not appear to be food poisoning, and the children might have mixed other substances into their food.
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“I want him (Smith) to tell us where he got the information that drugs were used," said Copela. "He must clean the names of the children, as he had dragged them in a mud, because many people still think what he said was true. Where did he get the results that it was drugs?”
Meanwhile, Smith has refused to comment, saying the City had not been notified yet of the post-mortem results “as required by law”.
“We have reported this failure to comply with the act to the provincial Department of Community Safety,” he told the Cape Times. “ As the City has not been notified of the results, it cannot provide comment. As stated before, the information relayed at the time of this unfortunate incident came via the SAPS.”
The SAPS have repeatedly denied Smith’s information originated with them.