A community is in mourning and demanding accountability outside the Homii residential apartment building in Durban, where seven-year-old twins fell four floors down a malfunctioning lift shaft earlier this month, resulting in one death and the other in a coma.
The incident, which occurred in October 2025, involved twins Aphelele and Aphile Dlamini. Aphelele was killed in the fall, while his sister, Aphile, remains hospitalized in a coma.
Their father, Khayelihle Dlamini, spoke out amidst a picket organized by community activists and various political parties. He stated that the tragic accident was preventable, alleging that no warning signs were placed at the non-functioning lift.
“I believe I must get answers. What I want is I want to know what happened to my kids,” Dlamini said. “Someone must account. So the Homii management, the Homii owners, they must be held accountable.”
Dlamini expressed profound grief, revealing that the day of the interview was the twins’ birthday. He described a family in crisis, with his mother, father, and mother-in-law all falling ill due to the shock and stress. He also detailed a lack of support from the building management, claiming they have not been in communication with him.
“Instead, I was offered a teddy bear and a grocery bag, which is an insult for a grieving parent who lost a child and the other is in hospital in ICU,” he said.
The father leveled serious allegations against Homii, accusing them of tampering with evidence and intimidation. He claimed the management deployed several security guards, some in plain clothes, which he perceived as an attempt to intimidate him.
Dlamini’s call for justice was echoed by another parent present at the picket, who he said lost a child in a similar incident in the same building and has yet to see justice served.
“The case was delayed by the detectives the very same way is happening to me,” Dlamini stated, suggesting a pattern of inaction.
He further denied receiving any counseling or support from the building management and contested a public statement released by Homii, claiming it falsely stated they were in communication with the family.
Despite the trauma, Dlamini confirmed his belongings are still in the Homii apartment, as the family has been overwhelmed with his daughter’s hospitalization and his son’s funeral, which took place just days ago.
The gathering outside the apartment building highlights growing community outrage over the tragedy, with scores of people joining the family in their call for a full investigation and accountability from Homii management.