Amelia Hope and Elena Faith.
Image: Monishka Govender
Tongaat mother Nicole Govender shared her devastating journey of grief after the tragic death of her daughters – Amelia Hope (6), who was autistic, and Elena Faith (4). The girls were fed their favourite McDonald's meal, allegedly laced with poison, by their father Leon Munsamy, before he hanged himself, leaving behind a suicide note.
In an exclusive interview with the POST, Nicole recounted how her ex-husband Leon had begun sending her harassing messages after he discovered she was in a new relationship. Describing his behaviour as “gaslighting and mocking,” she revealed how Leon's sudden emotional turmoil culminated in a series of confrontations.
Nicole said, “On Saturday morning, Leon went to my mother’s house… At first he was apologetic for his behaviour, but then he started arguing with my mother, telling her, ‘I am coming for her.’”
Nicole, 37, a dedicated IT and software specialist, had separated from Leon in April of the previous year and their divorce was finalised in August. The breakdown of their eight-year marriage, according to Nicole, was fraught with “narcissistic behaviour and abuse.”
The events leading up to the tragedy took a chilling turn. She recalled, “By Sunday, his tone had shifted. I will never forget his voice when he called me… He called to make arrangements to see the girls on Monday… I refused [to prepare their lunches] and said I would send fresh food in the morning.”
On the fateful afternoon of February 23, Nicole watched anxiously as her daughter Elena's transport drove past their home, a detail that sparked immediate concern within her. “I thought Leon was trying to stress me out… I never thought he would harm them,” she said. After frantic calls went unanswered, Nicole sensed something was terribly wrong. A quick call from Leon's brother directed her to his house, where the horrific reality awaited her.
“At the scene, I was met by the children’s helper… I asked, ‘Where are my girls?' A paramedic I had gone to school with approached me… I knew they were gone,” Nicole recalled, her voice trembling with anguish. The girls were discovered lifeless in their beds, while Leon had taken his own life.
Nicole revealed that despite the police's efforts to investigate, she has yet to see the suicide note left behind by Leon. “I need to know so that I can try to get some closure,” she emphasised. Visibly shattered, Nicole cannot comprehend how he could have poisoned their favourite meal, wondering, “Did he sit and watch them suffer and die?”
“This was premeditated murder. My children suffered in the last hours that they were alive,” she continued. The toll this has taken on Nicole is profound; her recollection of seeing her daughters’ bodies haunts her – they were unrecognisable to her.
As a final farewell loomed, Nicole faced pressure from Leon’s family to organise a joint funeral. “I could not sit in the same place as the person who murdered my children… Just because he was their father by name, it did not mean I owed him anything,” she asserted. Determined to honour her daughters independently, Nicole meticulously planned every aspect of their service.
“My sister and I bathed and dressed the girls two hours before the funeral… I got them back in the mortuary,” Nicole lamented. The strain of such heart-wrenching duties is exacerbated by the backlash she has received on social media. “People have painted me as a cold woman... which mother would ever be okay with her children dying?”
Surrounded by her family and receiving support from her employer, Nicole is navigating through her traumatic experience one moment at a time. “No matter what people say, I will always blame myself. They were loved and safe with me... The only solace I find is knowing they are now safe with God, no suffering, just in His arms.”
Painfully, Nicole reflects on her relationship with her daughters. “Amelia had autism and only began speaking at 4 years old. I had waited for years to hear her say ‘Mummy’... Elena was a chatterbox, funny and playful. My girls barely got to live their life or experience the world before they were taken away in such a cruel manner.”
Leon's family has so far declined to comment on the devastating incident.
IOL