Residents of Vredefort in the Free State are reeling from the deaths of two minor girls who died after allegedly consuming items bought from one of the local shops outside the multipurpose centre in Mokwallo.

Free State Police spokesperson, Loraine Earle, said the two girls are three and four years old respectively.  

A video circulating on social media platforms depicts residents confronting the owner of the store and demanding he open the shop so that they can check for expired products. Earle said the Provincial Commissioner of the Police in the Free State, Baile Motswenyane, has since appealed to the community to allow investigators to do a thorough investigation into the matter.

“The Provincial Commissioner’s instruction to the investigator is to not leave any stone unturned while following on any leads, especially the consumption trend of the two children in the past 24 hours. An appeal is made to our community not to jump to any conclusions or presumptions which can lead to the pointing of fingers without any tangible evidence,” added Earle.

Police have also promised to take full action against the person who might be found responsible for their death. Earle said the situation is calm at the moment and police visibility remains high in the area. No arrests have been made yet.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi