Family struggles to come to terms with blaze death
THE Gangaparsad sisters, Vireshnie and Nireshnie, who heard their younger brother’s pleas for help as he perished in the recent fire at the Lakehaven Child and Youth Care Centre in Sea Cow Lake, are in their new school, trying to put together the shattered pieces of their lives.
They started at Brailsford Primary, which is closer to their dad Rajesh Gangaparsad’s Phoenix home, where they are now staying. Gangaparsad said the girls, who had stayed at the children’s home with their brother at the time of the tragedy, were doing “okay”.
He and his wife, who are separated, are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their youngest child, 8-year-old Ajesh.
The Grade 2 pupil at Palmiet Primary School was one of eight children from the centre’s Cottage 3 who died. All except two were minors. Ten boys and two childcare workers managed to escape the blaze.
“The girls are doing okay. They went to school on Monday and were quite happy about it,” said Gangaparsad, who is unemployed.
His wife, Shanitha, lives in Welbedacht.
Their daughters’ schooling has been interrupted over the years with 17-year-old Vireshnie in Grade 5 and 11-year-old Nireshnie in Grade 2.
Said Gangaparsad: “I’m not too good. What else can I do? My daughters and I went to see their mother at the weekend to take some of the groceries given to us by the Department of Social Development to her home. She was tearing.”
He said they would all attend a memorial on Saturday at the Rivers Church in Durban North, which the Lakehaven Child and Youth Care Centre is organising.
Gangaparsad said he went to the centre on Friday where DNA samples were taken from him and other families to help in identifying the children.
“We don’t know when we will be able to have the funeral. It could be a week or so but it is better they don’t rush.”
Gangaparsad said he had spoken to the father of one victim at the centre, who had mentioned that he wanted to take up the matter legally.
“I may also consider this route,” he said.
The income development manager at Child Welfare Durban and Districts, Irene Okoye, said the survivors of Cottage 3 were still traumatised and social workers were providing on-going counselling.
They were now staying at other cottages at the facility, she said.
When asked if there were plans to rebuild the cottage, Okoye said: “It is still too early to tell.”
She told POST that they were “humbled and grateful” to the community for its sympathy and donations.
Okoye declined to comment on the investigation.
Ncumisa Ndelu, the media liaison officer in the office of Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi, said an investigative team was in the process of being set up.
They would look into matters of compliance with the norms and standards for child and youth care centres, focusing on the protection, care and safety of children.
MEC Thusi had previously said their investigation would not interfere with the probe being conducted by the SAPS, the eThekwini Municipality’s fire department and the Department of Labour.
Ajesh and his sisters were placed at the centre four months ago by a court.
The girls have vowed not to return to the home as it holds sad memories.