The parents of 22-month-old Amandla Ziqubu are mourning the sudden loss of their daughter, who died at the Little Innocence Day Care Centre in Goodwood.
According to Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Millicent Merton, the cause of death was still under investigation and the autopsy report had not yet been finalised.
“According to the information received the facility is not registered with the WCED,” she said. “A team has been established to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the death at the facility.”
Merton confirmed that the day care did not appear on the WCED’s database of unregistered facilities currently in the process of registration. She added that the department had not previously received any complaints, warnings or incident reports concerning the centre.
When the WCED becomes aware of unregistered day-care facilities it works with a Social Service Organisation (SSO) to provide registration support. The registration process starts with an application to the relevant municipal office, where compliance is assessed in areas such as zoning, land use, building regulations, fire safety, environmental health and food preparation.
Once the necessary clearance certificates have been obtained an SSO conducts a site visit and submits a report to the WCED for consideration.According to provincial police spokesperson Wesley Twigg, Goodwood police are investigating an inquest following the death of a 22-month-old baby. “The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, and no arrests have been made,” said Twigg.Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application to report anonymously.
