Nellmapius Ward Ward 67 councillor Kholofelo Kgopotso had to attend to four separate incident shack fire whereby in one of the incidents a 2-year-old baby lost her life on Thursday.
The four families told Tshwane Talks that they lost everything due to the shack fire.
Councillor Kgopotso told Tshwane Talks that the first shack fire incident happened in Plot 61 Smith informal settlement and the second, third and fourth incidents happened in Extension 1 in the backyard rooms.
The disaster management services attended to the first incident in Plot 61 Smith informal settlement near the N4 Gateway where a baby died in the shack fire.
Ntswaki Nthakong, who is the mother of the deceased baby, said since the baby had looked sick the previous day and also on Thursday morning, she decided to leave her in bed when she went to fetch water a few metres away from the house.
Nthakong said while busy fetching water, she was alerted by women in the neighborhood that her shack was on fire.
“I then rushed back to the shack and even tried to get into the blazing fire to save my child but members of the community restrained me and I watched my baby dying in the fire while I couldn’t do anything to rescue her,” said a tearful Nthakong.
“I didn’t know that by leaving her behind I would come back and watch her dying in the shack fire,” said the grieving mother.
She told Tshwane Talks that the police and firefighters suspect that the cause of the fire was a battery cable and solar which were attached to each other and apparently exploded, thus igniting the shack fire.
Devastated and grieving father of the child Tshidiso Radiapeng (23) could not hold his tears back and cried openly as he told Tshwane Talks about how he was phoned at work and informed about the incident.
“I lost my daughter, my baby girl and I can’t believe it and I’m at a possibility for words,” he said.
The aggrieved couple told Tshwane Talks that they lost everything in the shack fire, including their passports, clothes and furniture and that they were only left with the clothes that they were wearing.
The couple indicated that they would appreciate any kind of help from the public.
Regarding other incidents of shack fire that Councillor Khopotso attended to, the cause of fire is unknown.
This is where three shacks got burnt to the ground.
The said shacks belong to the tenants, namely Tapfumanneyi Chikurunhe, Chipo Rugodo (35) and That Sehone (30).
Chikurunhe said he stays alone in his shack and was phoned while at work about his shack which was on fire and upon arrival, he discovered that he had lost all his belongings in the fire.
Rugodo told Tshwane Talks that she has been staying in the now-burnt shack together with her husband and 7-month-old baby boy.
“My husband and I occupied this shack three years ago,” she said as she explained that when the fire broke, she was not at home but was in the streets selling some items like she dies on a daily basis
“At the time the fire started I was at the landlady’s house and I upon being alerted about the fire I rushed back to my shack, but it was too late, and the fire fighters arrived 35 minutes after the fire had started, I lost everything,” he said bitterly.
“As a result of losing everything in the shack fire I couldn’t go to work and I might get fired for failing to report for work,” explained Senohe as he indicated that he had been staying in the shack for only two months now.
Councillor Khopotso told Tshwane Talks that she rushed to the scene after receiving the news. She organise a disaster management to help the family who lost their 2 months old baby girl and also a shelter was arrange for them.
The 3 families a temporary shelter was arranged for all the victims of the shack fires but unfortunately three families among them declined the offer, stating that they have relatives that they can go and live with.
“We are working so hard for our community, and we don’t get a break and no matter what they say or do to us we are keeping up a good spirit and working together with the victims irrespective of where they originally come from, or which political parties they are affiliated to, we don’t discriminate,” said the Councillor.