THEIR mums left them alone at home to go drinking. And three siblings and their cousin died when their house caught fire.
The mums of the four children, reported to be sisters aged 28 and 30, have been arrested and face charges of child negligence.
The tragic incident happened in the early hours of Sunday in Alexandra, east of Joburg.
The kids – aged seven, five, four and two – were allegedly left throughout the night without any adult supervision.
Their mothers were allegedly in a shebeen, drinking.
Alexandra police spokesman Captain Stephen Malatji told Daily Sun the kids died later in the afternoon at the hospital.
“At about 5am police were called to attend a scene of suspicious arson,” he said.
“Only a 14-year-old, who ran to look for help, survived the blaze,” Malatji said.
“We were told that the mothers had been leaving the kids on their own and going to taverns.
“One of the mums was traced to a local shebeen.”
Malatji said investigations were under way to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Immediately after the incident, Gauteng Social Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza sent a team of social workers to the scene to investigate the circumstance that led to the kids’ deaths.
Mayathula-Khoza expressed her shock and sadness at the incident.
The MEC said she would talk to Premier David Makhura to determine the next course of action by the provincial government.
