- Khaya Dlamini lost his seven-year-old son Aphelele after a tragic accident at a Durban residential building in October 2025
- Aphelele's twin sister Aphile survived but suffered critical injuries, and her long recovery has brought the family financial strain
- A year on, Dlamini says the grief has not eased but his daughter's fight to get better gives him the strength to carry on
Source: Getty Images
DURBAN - Khaya Dlamini once started every morning the same way. He told his twins they were special and that he loved them. A year after losing one of them, those words now carry a grief no parent should ever have to bear.
Aphelele Dlamini, seven years old, died on 18 October 2025 after falling down an open lift shaft at the HOMii Lifestyle residential building in Durban's central business district. His twin sister, Aphile, survived the fall but sustained critical injuries that left her in a coma for weeks.
A light that will not return
According to IOL, for her father, Aphelele was far more than a little boy with big dreams. He was a bright, joyful child who excelled at school and spoke of becoming an engineer or scientist one day.
Khaya said Aphelele was the light of the family and his presence always brought them joy.
"There was never a dull moment with him around," Dlamini said.
That joy is now replaced by a grief that the family is still learning to carry. Dlamini describes the wound as fresh, even a year on.
"We have not healed. We still have fresh wounds, and the scars of Aphelele's loss will remain forever," he said.
Fighting for Aphile
Aphile's road to recovery has been long and difficult. Her father describes her as a fighter, and her rehabilitation is slowly progressing. But the journey has placed an enormous financial burden on the family, one that Dlamini believes has slowed her progress.
The family is fighting two battles at once: mourning a child who will never come home, and finding the resources to give the one who survived every possible chance at a full life.
Yet it is Aphile's determination that keeps her father going. He also finds meaning in her survival.
"Aphile gives me strength. Her being alive and fighting to get better, I believe, is a message from God. There is a reason to live and stay positive," he said.
Words a father never stopped saying
On 18 October, the family marked the first anniversary of the tragedy with prayer, holding space for both grief and hope.
When asked what he would say to Aphelele if he could speak to him again, Dlamini said he would tell him he is special and loved.
"These are the very same words I used to tell them every morning when they woke up and every night before they went to sleep," he said.
Durban residents march after twin tragedy
Briefly News previously reported that hundreds of residents marched down Dr Pixley KaSeme Street in Durban on 27 October to protest against one of the twins' deaths. The twins, Aphelele Dlamini and Aphile Dlamini fell down a shaft in the building. Aphelele tragically passed away while Aphile was rushed to the hospital.
Source: Briefly News
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