Africa-Press – South-Africa. They screamed for two minutes. I heard them crying and banging the shack, desperately needing help.”
Mfundo Lunika recounted the tragic events of Saturday night when his nephew, three nieces and a 31-year-old man died in a shack fire in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg.
Lunika was sitting just metres away from the scene, where Olona Njozela, 10, Lilitha Njozela, 7, Ayabonga Njozela, 5, Nqobile Njozela, 4, and Monaheng Moloi, the sole adult, died.
Moloi was in a relationship with Bulelwa Njozela, the mother of Ayabonga. The children’s mothers are sisters. Olona was a Grade 5 pupil at Katlehong Primary School, while Lilitha was in Grade 1 at Thabang Primary School. Ayabonga was in Grade R at Thabang Primary School.
Lunika said he was about to fall asleep after work on Saturday night when he heard people screaming.
“My sisters were in one of the shacks occupied by our mother. As I was about to sleep, I heard neighbours screaming that one of the shacks in our yard was burning. I went to look and saw that, indeed, a shack was on fire.
“Neighbours quickly arrived, and we battled to extinguish the fire. We attempted to dismantle the shack from the back as the door was locked from the inside. We managed to remove a few corrugated iron sheets. We were prevented from going inside by the boards that were burning.”
He said he could hear the children crying for help.
He said:
Lunika said the structure burnt to the ground.
“We battled to extinguish the fire. We tried everything to stop the fire from raging. The fire went furious, and my nephew and three nieces were burnt beyond recognition.”
Soon after the fire had stopped, a fifth body was discovered – that of Moloi.
“That body was badly burnt beyond recognition. I was later told that it was Moloi’s body. Those who were at home earlier with him said he was inside the shack with the children when the fire started,” said Lunika.
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“Their bodies were charred, and it was difficult to identify them. I suspect that Moloi started the fire. He allegedly told his friend earlier in the day that he was going to do something terrible to Bulelwa,” the distraught man claimed.
He said when Moloi found Bulelwa, she “refused to come home with him”. “He then walked here alone to do what he had allegedly done. We are in pain. We have lost four young children. We are hurting. We ask ourselves many questions. Among them is why he had to kill innocent children,” Lunika said.
Moloi’s family, however, told News24 they didn’t believe he would’ve wanted to hurt the children.
Lunika also said that, as the fire was raging, Nqobile’s father, Nkululeko Malinga, rushed into the shack in an attempt to save the minors.
He was hospitalised with burn wounds.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson Maswati Mdluli said they received a call for help at around 22:58.
“Our firefighters were dispatched. In 15 minutes, they were there. They found a shack had already been burnt and flames visible on the other side. Community members tried putting the fire out, but couldn’t, as it rapidly burned out of control.
“We managed to damp it down. A search was initiated, and it was alleged there were bodies inside. Firefighters recovered five bodies. Four were minors, and there was another body of an adult. The charred bodies were scattered (around the shack) and later declared deceased by paramedics,” said Mdluli.
Mdluli said the deceased were burnt beyond recognition, and the matter was handed over to the police.
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