Fiery tragedy at daycare centre

Daughter makes horror discovery of charred body of owner

APORT Elizabeth daycare owner set herself alight yesterday, only metres from the Morningside facility. The bizarre tragedy came just a day before World Suicide Prevention Day.

The charred remains of Maureen Meyer, 57, the owner of Clever Kids Learn and Play Centre in Yokohama Street, were discovered shortly after 11am.

It is the second fire-related suicide in Nelson Mandela Bay in the past two weeks and the third in six months.

Police on the scene confirmed that Meyer appeared to have doused herself with petrol and set herself alight.

Her body was found under a tree about 30m behind the centre.

Shocked parents collected their children from the centre at about midday.

Meyer’s devastated relatives and friends milled around outside, watching police work, while staff and other relatives called parents on the phone, asking them to collect their children.

“All we were told is that there was an incident and that we must collect our child,” a parent, who declined to be named, said while walking to her car.

Another parent, Aluta Mthimkulu, said she was shocked by the incident.

“I have been shaking since hearing what happened,” she said.

“I got a phone call saying there had been an incident and I must come collect my boy.

“All the other parents I have spoken to are shocked.

“I do not know how it happened, but I know that she [Meyer] is dead. She was such a nice, lovely woman.

“Everyone loved her and she was always just so pleasant – I can’t believe it.”

Mthimkulu said she had been told that the daycare centre would be closed until further notice.

Mini Vegas Pub owner Riaan Smuts – whose business is around the corner and whose children used to go to the daycare centre – said he was curious when he saw an ambulance parked in the bushes behind the school.

“I went there to see what happened,” he said.

“Apparently, the mother [Meyer] told her daughter [who works at the centre] that she was going for a walk.

“After a while she went to look where her mother was and saw a fire under a tree behind the building.

“She got a bucket of water to put the fire out ... and saw the mother’s body was under the tree.”

Smuts said he was stunned by the tragedy.

“I don’t know what to say. She was such a nice woman,” he said.

“Everyone liked her and everyone is just so devastated by this.”

Police spokesman Captain Johan Rheeder said: “An inquest case has been opened. At this stage, it appears there was no foul play – however, the investigation is still under way.”

He said police were still taking statements from relatives.

One of Meyer’s relatives, Dirk Fourie, said the family was devastated by her “unexplainable” death.

“She has three children, all of whom have gone to the doctor for medication to deal with this shock,” he said. “They are very traumatised. “Yes, she was suffering from depression and did have personal problems, which we don’t really want to talk about.

“But no one saw anything like this coming.”

Fourie said they wanted people to remember Meyer as the cheerful and happy person she had usually been.

“She was always smiling and willing to help – particularly with anything to do with children,” he said.

“She had a passion to educate and teach children as she has been doing for the better part of 20 years.”

Fourie said Meyer had left a suicide note.

Two weeks ago, Graham Chellow, 56, torched himself inside his Land Rover in Woltemade Street, Despatch, after an argument with his former wife.

In April, hairdresser Carina Liebenberg set herself alight inside her vehicle after parking in Roshan Street, about 2km from Meyer’s daycare centre.

Everyone loved her and she was always just so pleasant – I can’t believe it