JOHANNESBURG – Every morning since 4 April, Matshidiso Molobela from Mapetla in Soweto prepares for another day at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
She spends hours by her son’s bedside, praying he wakes up.
The eight-year-old was admitted after eating snacks he had bought from a nearby spaza shop.
Although he has been taken off mechanical ventilators, his condition remains critical.
Speaking to eNCA, Molobela recalled the terrifying call she received from one of her other children telling her to return home as her son had been vomiting and struggling to walk.
‘That day was I was going to get my Sassa money. I decided to first pass by my friend before heading to town to withdraw money. It was in the afternoon because normally I choose to go around that time. After all, the lines are shorter. It was around 14:31 when I got a message from my child that [my son] was vomiting. At the very same time, I received a call from my sister. I then decided to take a taxi back,’ she said.
At first, Molobela suspected that it could have been bile, but when she arrived home, she was met with the shocking sight of her son’s swollen tongue.
Her son was first taken to Chiawelo Clinic but when healthcare workers suspected food poisoning, he was rushed to Chris Hani Baragwanath.
Molobela says she prays for her son’s recovery every day.
‘He is off breathing machines but doctors say they cannot be too happy as he remains weak. He has also opened his eyes which is something he has not done since he was admitted and that gives me hope,’ he says.
This incident has reignited public outrage over food sold in spaza shops, after a spate of food-poisoning related deaths last year.