ANOTHER horror shack fire has claimed the lives of three children and their mother.
The four family members died in a fire at Tshatshalaza squatter camp in Philippi, Cape Town on Monday night at about 8pm.
“We were watching Generations when the fire broke out. We rushed and tried to help, but the blaze was too big,” said neighbour Xoliswa Mbande (43).
No one knows what started the fire in which Vuyani (10), Neliswa (7), Aphelele (4) and their mum, Nomsa Dyantyi (38) died.
Nomsa’s 12-year-old daughter escaped death because she had gone to watch TV in a neighbour’s shack.
The father of the kids, Zibele Mjila (51), returned home from a piece job to find his house ablaze.
“I saw the fire but did not know that my kids were burning to death inside.
“I am hurt. I want to know what happened. My wife had not been well after she suffered a seizure several months ago,” said Zibele.
He said the fire destroyed everything in the shack.
“I do not know what to do. We were both unemployed but I sometimes get piece jobs. We depended on the kids’ grant money,” he said.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Theo Layne said four shacks were destroyed in the fire.
“The cause of the fire is still to be determined,” he said.
