Community activists marched towards the Homii residential apartment building in Durban where seven-year-old Aphelele and his twin sister Aphile fell four floors down a lift shaft. Police in KwaZulu-Natal say they’ve approached the court following “difficulty” in accessing CCTV footage at the Homii residential apartment building in Durban, where a boy died after he fell into the shaft of the lift.

WATCH | Community activists and various political parties gathered today outside the Homii residential apartment building in Durban, demanding justice for the Dlamini twins. Earlier this month, 7-year-old Aphelele and his twin sister, Aphile, fell four floors down a lift shaft. pic.twitter.com/HnNtL26fWy

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 27, 2025

RELATED VIDEO | Demanding justice for Dlamini twins

His twin sister remains in hospital. Residents are calling on the city to implement the by-laws in residential apartments in the city. They were joined by the organisation, March and March, and political parties, who picketed and marched to the Durban Central Police station in support of the Dlamini family.

[WATCH] Activists and political parties protest outside Durban’s Homii building for justice for the Dlamini twins. Seven-year-old Aphelele died and his twin sister Aphile remains in a coma after falling four floors down a non-functioning lift. Their father, Khayelihle Dlamini,… pic.twitter.com/Pm01zKh5sx

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 27, 2025

Hundreds of people picketed outside the Homii residential apartment, calling for justice for the Dlamini twins. On this day the twins, Aphile and Aphelele would have celebrated their eighth birthday.

Their distraught father, Khayelihle Dlamini, has voiced out concern over the manner in which the incident is being handled by police. Dlamini maintains Homii must be held accountable.

“I believe I will get the answers, I want to know what happened to my kids. I want the footage, someone must account. The Homii management and owners must be held accountable. The proof is there. Another parent whose child died here, on the very same flat on the very same lift is here with us today. She hasn’t gotten any justice; the case was delayed by the detectives the same way it’s happening to me. We need answers, Homii must be held accountable, Homii must pay for this,” says Dlamini.

Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda says an inquest docket has been open and investigation is proceeding. Netshiunda says they have also approached the court so to access the CCTV footage.

“That footage will give information if there’s any foul play which happened when the kid unfortunately passed on. Until the time that there is evidence pointing the police to a case of murder, we will do that. Before that we plead with you to be a patient and allow the law to take its course. Because if as the police we don’t do what we are supped to do, which is due diligence, we are going mess up this case, and we want justice for the child and we want justice for everyone who lives in that building. We will do everything possible to get to the bottom of this matter,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the civil right group that organised the picket outside the apartment, March in March is calling for authorities to implement the by-laws regulating buildings in the city.

“Someone needs to be accountable; we are calling for accountability. We are calling for assurance that it is not going to happen again in this building. We are hoping someone will come forward from the management and really just give him the footage he’s asking for to really see for himself what happened to the twins,” says spokesperson Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma.

Meanwhile, a representative from Homii Lifestyle accepted the memorandum from the picketers.

Last week its management said, in a statement, that they had launched a full investigation into the incident.

VIDEO | Protesters want justice for Dlamini twins