Heartbroken father seeks justice after 22-month-old Amandla dies at unregistered daycare

“I wouldn’t wish this type of pain on my worst enemy.” These are the words of heartbroken father Njabulo Ziqubu, whose 22-month-old daughter Amandla died at the Little Inocence Day Care Centre in Goodwood last week.

The little girl was found unresponsive at the creche after nap time, allegedly after eating noodles and becoming drowsy.

The creche now operates on a partial basis, only catering for children whose parents already paid for the month and no longer takes on new applications since it's been revealed that the creche had been operating illegally- not being registered as an Early Childhood Development Centre.

Amandla's devastated father, Ziqubu, spoke to the Weekend Argus while preparing for his daughter’s funeral, which will be held in KwaZulu-Natal. “I wouldn’t wish this type of pain on my worst enemy. It’s a pain, as a parent you cannot describe, all you know is that it hurts so very much. Right now all I want is justice for Amandla,” he said.

Ziqubu recounted the last morning he spent with his daughter. “She was full of life when I dropped her at creche that Wednesday morning. There was nothing wrong with her, we had such a happy morning, singing and counting, she was a very intelligent girl and when she got home, the plan was to put on her favourite show Cocomelon.”

But the day that began with joy quickly turned into a nightmare. He received a frantic call from his partner urging him to get to the creche immediately something had happened to Amandla.

“When I got to the creche the principal and teachers were standing outside crying. I watched how other parents rushed off the property holding their children safe by the hands or on their hips. A parent who knew me asked if I saw my daughter, I said no. He then pointed to a room and said I must go inside,” Ziqubu recalled.

He paused, his voice breaking. “When I got there I found my child laying over a man’s lap (who introduced himself as a first aider) on her stomach, he was rubbing her back. I took my child from him and started speaking to her, I wanted her to know that I am here and that she is safe. I reminded her that we were going to watch Cocomelon. She didn’t respond… I could feel my heart breaking into pieces she always responded just by the mention of Cocomelon.”

Ziqubu said he then carried his daughter to the car, with police escorting them to the nearest hospital after learning that the creche had allegedly not called for medical assistance.

“It was not even long before the doctor at the hospital came to me and said those words: ‘We tried everything to resuscitate your baby, but she was already dead.’ I later learnt that the children had noodles before their nap time at 12:00 and Amandla became drowsy. When they tried to wake her up three hours later they noticed she wasn’t moving.”

Ziqubu said the principal begged him and his partner for forgiveness, admitting fault. He later discovered that the so-called first aider was, in fact, just a security guard and the principal’s husband. He also questioned why the creche gave his daughter noodles when they packed lunch for her every day, due to her being a picky eater.

“Up until today I cannot accept what happened. She was only there eight days. I have all these questions and I want answers. Above all, I want justice for Amandla.”

The centre's principle, Odette Innocentio, when contacted by the media, expressed her condolences to Amandla's parents and family.

"I have said everything I can say. Right now the matter is still under investigation. I am in turmoil and exhausted, so I cannot even imagine what her parents and family is going through. I honestly sympathise with them and am also wanting answers."

She further added that the incident had left her in shock. “We have never experienced anything like this before. On that day, the child did not want to eat so we gave her noodles. Yes, the parents provide a snack, but we also give cooked meals. At month-end we sometimes do treats, so we serve noodles, hotdogs and so on and I want to state we not buy food from spaza shops and I always check the dates."

Innocentio admitted that while they are not legally registered as an ECD, they have submitted registration documents during the Covid period but did not receive any feedback. 

"I was informed I applied on the old system and now there is a new system."

Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Millicent Merton confirmed that the facility is not registered with the WCED.

Merton further explained: “The facility (also) does not appear on the database for unregistered facilities in the process of registration.

“A team has been established to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the death at the facility.”

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said an inquest was registered for investigation by Goodwood police station and are currently under investigation.

“No arrests have yet been made.”

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Weekend Argus