A Middelpos mother is searching for answers after her four-year-old daughter died near a communal water tap in Saldanha Bay.
Diante van Wyk was allegedly electrocuted after stepping on an exposed electrical cable while playing near the tap outside a friend’s home in Whipping Street, Hopland.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation. Western Cape police have registered an inquest, while a post-mortem examination still needs to be conducted to establish the cause of death.
According to sources, at least three eyewitnesses stated in a leaked police report that an “illegal electricity connection wire was lying on the ground”.
Diante’s mother, Leezan van Wyk, said her daughter’s lifeless body was carried into their home moments after the incident.
Van Wyk was getting Diante ready for the day when she briefly left the house to fetch a comb from a friend who lived less than five minutes away. She said she was doing her daughter’s hair when she realised that her kettle was still switched on.
“We went around to get the comb, which is less than a five-minute walk, but then I realised my kettle was still on. So I quickly ran home to turn it off. In the meantime, I asked my friend to bring Diante home so I could finish getting her ready for the day,” Van Wyk said.
She had only been inside for a short time when the friend returned carrying the child.
However, while she was busy inside her home, her friend walked in carrying “my child’s lifeless body in her arms”.
Van Wyk said she was overwhelmed by shock and immediately rushed towards Diante, asking what had happened.
The mother said her friend could only tell her that Diante had been shocked.
“All she could tell me was that Diante was shocked. I grabbed her and immediately started performing CPR, even though I could see that her lips were already blue and her hands and feet were cold.”
Paramedics also tried to revive the little girl. Van Wyk said they made three attempts, but there was no improvement.
“I could see on their faces that my child was gone,” Van Wyk said.
The friend who carried Diante home was someone Van Wyk trusted deeply. She said the woman often looked after her daughter, making the events even more difficult to understand.
Van Wyk said she was not looking for conflict but wanted the truth about what happened in the moments before Diante was found.
“My gut feeling tells me there is more to what happened leading up to my child’s death. I’m really not angry. I am very sad, yes, but I’m also looking for the truth,” she said.
Attempts to contact the friend were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that an inquest had been opened. He said the circumstances surrounding the child’s death were still being investigated.
“Saldanha Bay police registered an inquest for investigation following the death of a four-year-old girl on Wednesday, 4 November, in Whipping Street, Hopland. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” Twigg said.
The police investigation will take place alongside the post-mortem examination, which is expected to provide more information about the cause of death. Until that process is completed, the exact circumstances of Diante’s death have not been established.
The reported presence of an exposed wire near the communal tap has added to the community’s concern. Sources said eyewitnesses referred to the wire in a leaked police report, but the allegation still needs to be tested as part of the investigation.
Diante’s death has left the Middelpos community grieving. Community activist Veronique Pretorius said residents were shocked and saddened by the loss of the young child.
“No parent ever expects to get such sad news. It is very sad what happened in our community, but we trust that the police will get to the bottom of what took place.”
For Van Wyk, the pain has followed her back into the home she shared with her daughter. Diante’s clothes, toys and favourite blanket remain in the house, leaving constant reminders of the child she expected to return home.
Van Wyk described Diante as a bubbly little girl who loved singing and dancing. She said her daughter was always excited about going to the beach or visiting swimming pools.
“She was a real girly girl,” she said.
The mother said she has been physically and emotionally exhausted since Diante’s death. She is struggling to sleep and trying to accept that her daughter will never walk through the door again.
“I can’t even sleep because my head is thick with thoughts and sadness that my child will never come back home again. Seeing her little clothes in the house, her toys and her favourite blanket just makes me miss her even more. I wish this was all just a dream,” she sobbed.
Diante is expected to be laid to rest on Friday as her family, friends and members of the community prepare to say goodbye.
As they mourn, the family is waiting for the police investigation and post-mortem examination to clarify what happened near the communal tap and whether the exposed cable played a role in the child’s death.