POLICE PROBE GENERATIONS MYSTERY DEATH

Toddler dies two days after shooting scenes at studios

GENERATIONS cast and crew members will be questioned by the police about the mysterious death of toddler Oratile Tshedza Mahene, who played Khethiwe ’ s son, Mpilo.

Oratile (2) died last September, two days after shooting a few scenes at the Generations studios in Auckland Park.

The toddler ’ s parents, Masechaba Mahene and Mashudu Munedzi, suspect foul play because of how events leading to Oratile ’ s death unfolded.

The toddler ’ s death certificate says he died of “unnatural causes ”, and now the parents want answers.

Although Oratile was famous among millions of Generations viewers, his death was kept hush-hush.

Generations bosses allegedly ordered their publicist, Brenda Nyakunda-Ngwenya, not to issue a media statement about the death.

Nyakunda-Ngwenya, who is no longer working on Generations , confirmed to Sunday World that she was instructed not to issue a media statement.

Kagiso police spokesman Solomon Sibiya confirmed that Generations staffers would be questioned as part of the investigation.

It is alleged that even the SABC, which traditionally organises memo- rial services for actors or employees, was also not informed of the toddler ’ s death.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that they were not told of Oratile ’ s death.

Generations executive producer Mfundi Vundla flatly declined to comment on the matter.

Mahene and Munedzi say they suspect that their baby boy was poisoned.

They say he went to crèche as usual, then vomited after being fed soft porridge.

“We don ’ t know who poisoned our son, but they must question everybody who came close to him,” said Mahene.

A visibly distraught Mahene said she approached the police and asked them to change the inquest to a murder docket after she had received the death certificate.

She said she took her child to the local crèche two days after he shot his scenes at the Generations studios.

“I then received a call from the teachers who said I should rush to the local clinic because my child was taken there after vomiting at the crèche,” she said.

Preschool owner Cecilia Madondo said Oratile had arrived at their premises looking sickly.

“My teachers gave him soft porridge and he started vomiting after eating it.

“The child collapsed and my teachers did CPR on him before taking him to the clinic, where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” she said.

Sibiya confirmed that the death certificate showed that Oratile had died of unnatural causes.

He added that a toxicology report would confirm whether the little boy was poisoned and would shed light on the kind of poison found in the body.

“These reports take about three to five years and once we have received them, the investigation will kick in and everybody, including the parents, the crèche and people where the child was working, will be questioned,” he said.

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