Fire victims locked in, hydrants ran dry
“This tragic incident
which could have been mitigated, sheds light on the harsh reality faced by our community - no water in our taps, and now, fire hydrants that are
dry. It is absolutely unacceptable that their lives were cut short due
to this fire.”
ROSHAN LIL-RUTHAN
THE three workers who were burnt beyond recognition last week in a furniture factory fire in Missionlands, Verulam, had allegedly been locked inside while waiting to be paid their weekly wages of R850.
It has been alleged that firefighters battled to put out the blaze because the fire hydrants had no water.
Nine people, including Malawian and Indian nationals, had been locked in the factory. One of the Indian nationals is believed to have been the factory owner’s brother.
The owner is known to the workers only as “Mr Singh”. Attempts to get in touch with him were unsuccessful.
Sources told the POST that the factory owner was an Indian national and that he lived in Ballito. He is said to own a string of furniture stores in KwaZulu-Natal.
Three of the Malawian nationals were burnt beyond recognition, one person is still missing and three others escaped with injuries. The two Indian nationals were not injured.
The EFF’s Thobias Mthiyane said the victims’ families were distraught and anxiously awaiting the outcome of the investigations.
“The men were waiting for their wages of R850 when the fire broke out. DNA will have to be used to identify the men who were burnt beyond recognition. We have met the SAPS and metro police to enquire if it was safe to search the factory for the missing man.”
Mthiyane said they were helping the families with the funerals.
“If investigations reveal that the owner locked his workers inside the factory then we will call for his arrest.”
Prem Balram, the head of Reaction Unit SA (Rusa), said relatives and friends arrived at the factory, after the men had failed to return home on Saturday morning.
He said according to the relatives, the men were working the nightshift at the factory which manufactures furniture, when the fire broke out at about 11.30pm.
“It is alleged that all exits and entrances were locked by their employer at the start of the shift,
preventing the men from escaping the inferno. However, this information was provided by the survivors and could not be confirmed. Five employees jumped out of windows from the upper level of the building.”
Roshan Lil-Ruthan, spokesperson for the Verulam Water Crisis Committee, said the committee was appalled and deeply saddened by this tragedy.
“This tragic incident which could have been mitigated, sheds light on the harsh reality faced by our community – no water in our taps, and now, fire hydrants that are dry. It is absolutely unacceptable that their lives were cut short due to this fire.”
Reports indicate that the fire department was unable to effectively combat the raging inferno due to the lack of water in the fire hydrants, he said.
“Within a mere 15 minutes, the fire department’s large tank was emptied, leaving them powerless in the face of the relentless
Spokesperson for the Verulam Water Crisis Committee
flames. This shocking revelation only emphasises the dire consequences of the ongoing water crisis in our community,” he said.
Lil-Ruthan said the National Minister of Water and Sanitation and the South African Human Rights Commission need to take immediate action in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families.
“This tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing negligence and indifference displayed by the authorities towards the water crisis plaguing our community.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, a provincial police spokesperson, said an inquest docket was being investigated.