It has been almost three years since a Gqeberha family was poisoned while sleeping in their Kabega Park complex, resulting in the death of siblings Tammy, 12, and Matthew, 17, and still, there has been no closure for their parents — Selina and Stanton Ingram — who survived the tragic incident.
The siblings and their parents fell ill on August 22 2020, allegedly after inhaling noxious fumes from one of the units in the Kabega Park complex where they stayed which was being fumigated for borer beetle.
Everyone else had been evacuated from the complex due to the fumigation, but the Ingrams said they were never informed.
The gas has since been identified as methyl bromide.
And while police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said this week their inquest investigation was complete, they are still awaiting the toxicology report from Cape Town.
Once that was received, a docket would be sent to the court for a formal inquest, Naidu said.
Meanwhile, Selina this week described the agonising wait for answers — and justice — saying every minute spent waiting was a moment too long.
“It’s like we’re just trapped in a bubble, trapped in a prison but there’s nothing we can do, we must wait for these reports and there’s such a huge backlog.
“We can’t sleep at night, and if I do sleep I get nightmares.
“We’re just breathing and because we’re breathing, we have to eat and my husband needs to work, he is forced to work in order for us to survive.”
The mother said she was longing for justice.
“I think the whole of Gqeberha just wants justice,” she said.
“We are waiting every day and night for justice to be served ... the company has to be held accountable.”
Losing a child is devastating on its own.
Imagine, then, in addition to that pain, the agony of waiting for those responsible for their deaths to be brought to book.
The Ingrams have waited long enough for justice, even just for answers, and they will never find closure until they know who is responsible for the circumstances that killed their children.
We hope that the investigation will be finalised soon and that they get the justice they so desperately seek.
HeraldLIVE
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