Three dead in Hout Bay fire
THREE people, a couple and their 13-month-old baby boy, were burnt to death inside their shack when it caught fire early yesterday morning at the Mandela Park informal settlement in Hout Bay.
Buselwa Somatika, 31, her partner Ayanda Yekani, 34, and their infant Thabiso Somatika died in the fire.
Neighbouring shacks were spared from the fire which only destroyed the single-room structure, shared by the family who perished in the flames.
Police have opened an inquest docket and the cause of the fire is yet to be established, said spokesperson Frederick van Wyk. The City’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson Tracey Whittaker said four firefighting vehicles with 14 firefighters responded to the scene and put out the fire.
Nonkanyiso Somatika, 28, whose sister Buselwa died in the fire, said neighbours unsuccessfully tried to save the family. Somatika said that, although no one knows for sure what caused the fire, it was suspected someone in the shack tried to cook and might have left the stove unattended.
The shack did not have an electricity connection; they were using candles and a paraffin stove, which could also be the cause of the fire, she said.
“It’s heartbreaking to lose loved ones in this manner; it is very sad. They were all burnt beyond recognition. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering they had to go through,” she said, adding that the last time she saw her sister was when she visited her at her workplace in Wynberg on Saturday.
“She was very talkative, friendly to others and liked laughing and joking. I will miss her dearly. Whenever I needed advice I would go to her and she was accommodating,” she said.
Somatika said the family does not suspect any foul play.
A neighbour, Nomfusi Gebe, said she heard people screaming that there was a fire and, when she went to investigate, the shack was already engulfed in flames.
“The couple used a chain to lock their door and burglar gates making it difficult to access the shack, otherwise they could have been saved if the chain was not there.
“They cried and a few minutes later it was quiet and we knew they were dead, such a sad story to tell. No one deserves to die like that,” said Gebe.
In an unrelated fire in Samora Machel yesterday morning, about 22 shacks caught fire resulting in one person dying after he was trapped inside one of the shacks.
Over 100 people were displaced, said Whittaker. In another fire, in Simanyane informal settlement in the Strand, 10 shacks were destroyed in a fire, leaving about 50 people displaced. There were no injuries reported, said Whittaker.