​On Wednesday, 30 July 2025, the double premeditated murder case of a woman who poisoned her two boys to death was postponed to 10 October by the Lenasia Magistrate Court after she was denied bail by Magistrate Maggie Van der Merwe.
A 35-year-old Nonhlanhla Dogoro was remanded in custody due to a pending medical report of one of the boys, which is a critical part of the investigation. Dogoro, from Phumulamuqashi informal settlement, is originally from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape and is facing two premeditated murder charges.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development Men's Forum was also at court to support Simon Digoro, the father of the late Setshaba (10) and Botlhale (8), carrying placards with different messages. Still, Digoro cannot believe that he lost his sons to poisoning.
Digoro says his sons were poisoned two days before Mother's Day, where they planned a surprise breakfast in bed with their dad. They designed beautiful cards for their mother as gifts.
According to Digoro, they got divorced in 2018, but due to the living conditions of his children, they decided to reconcile for their sake.
"On the day she poisoned them, they were playing with other children on the street when she called them and gave them juice. The older one asked their mother what the black thing inside the juice was, but she forced them to drink. The little one collapsed, and the mother screamed for help as neighbors came to assist her, rushing the child to Lenasia hospital. Only to find out that the older one was in the toilet, and he was left there in pain. The mother also drank with them, and she collapsed in front of the nurses and doctors when they were attending to the little one, and both were later admitted," says Digoro.
"It was like a movie that day, as I was still shocked, waiting to know what happened. My older son was also at casualty for admission. I was confused and didn't know what to do or say, but I left everything to God. After five days, my older son passed on, and the mother was informed while she was still in the hospital, and that is when she confessed that she killed her children. During his stay in the hospital, my elder son was able to open his eyes, and he told me that their mother gave them juice.
"The last-born followed after the burial of his brother. I am still devastated, and I just want to see justice for my boys," concludes Digoro.