Young SA Author Tlotlo Tsheka Dies After Short Illness: “Everything Happened Within a Week”
- Tlotlo Tsheka, a seven-year-old author who had published three books, died on Tuesday night after a week-long battle with a mysterious illness
- The Grade 2 Spark Witpoortjie pupil developed acute liver and kidney failure within days, leaving doctors puzzled by the rapid deterioration
- Her mother, Thatohatsi Tsheka, revealed that specialist test results the family had been fast-tracking had not yet arrived when Tlotlo passed
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Source: UGC
South Africa is mourning the loss of Tlotlo Tsheka, a remarkable seven-year-old author and Grade 2 pupil at Spark Witpoortjie, who died on Tuesday night after a sudden and rapidly worsening illness. She had already published three books and completed a fourth manuscript before her death, a staggering literary legacy for a child so young.
Her mother, Thatohatsi Tsheka, described how everything began with what appeared to be a routine infection. Tlotlo started vomiting, became severely dehydrated and had dangerously low blood sugar. A seizure followed, prompting her admission to Leratong Hospital in Krugersdorp. After an initial discharge, her condition worsened again as she became increasingly drowsy and began vomiting once more.
Tlotlo's condition rapidly declined
A second seizure landed Tlotlo in intensive care. Doctors eventually discovered her liver had stopped regulating blood sugar effectively, and she subsequently developed acute liver failure, kidney failure, severe jaundice and unstable blood pressure. Despite the sustained efforts of her medical team, she did not respond to treatment.
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"Everything happened within a week. She got worse every day. She was not responding to treatment and kept on deteriorating by the hour," Thatohatsi told News24.
What made the situation even more heartbreaking was that the family had been urgently working alongside doctors to fast-track specialist testing through a private laboratory, hoping the results would pinpoint what triggered the liver failure. The results did not come in time.
"We were in the middle of fast-tracking [the specialist testing] through a private lab. We should be getting them back today. But now it's too late," her mother said.
A storyteller taken too soon
Thatohatsi was adamant there had been no warning signs of liver trouble. Tlotlo showed no yellowing of the eyes, no swollen belly, no swollen feet. In fact, she attended school on the very day she first fell ill.
"Like nothing whatsoever," her mother said.
Despite the agony of unanswered questions, Thatohatsi praised the medical staff who cared for her daughter in those final days.
"She was truly under the best care. I saw it myself; the team was working really hard, since this was a very weird case. They honestly did all they could leading up to her last hour," she said.
Tlotlo published her first book at just five years old and went on to release two more. She also participated in a literacy programme at Tshepisong Primary School and had recently completed a manuscript titled The Magic Eye. Her passion for storytelling left a lasting impression far beyond her years.
"We were all stunned that Tlotlo left this world before we could get the results back," Thatohatsi said.
Source: UGC
Danny K thanks Mzansi for support
Tlotlo Tsheka's passing comes days after Danny K took to social media to express gratitude for the love shown to his family following Lisa Gundelfinger Koppel's passing, as reported by Briefly News.
Lisa died on 9 August aged 41 after fighting colorectal cancer for three years, leaving behind three young children.
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Source: Briefly News
