A MPUMALANGA mother and her children were burnt to death in their house in Klarinet, Emalahleni, on Thursday, 7 July.
The 31-year-old mother and her two kids, aged four and five, where inside their shack when it caught fire.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, preliminary investigation revealed that the trio were using a two-plate stove to keep warm and fell asleep. He said the father was not inside when the incident happened.
“He had gone to the shop and when he came back, he found the house on fire. He tried to put it out with the help of the community, but it was already late,” he said.
Mohlala added that police had registered an inquest and investigations were ongoing.
Meanwhile on Monday, two sets of twins, aged eight and 13, were burnt beyond recognition when their shack caught fire in Hendrina.
It was alleged that their mother, an undocumented Mozambican national, had left the kids under the care of their 17-year-old brother at the time of incident. The brother tried to save the lives of his siblings but couldn’t as the fire was already at an advanced stage.
Police said it was not yet confirmed what might be the cause, but loose cables were visible on the ground, prompting suspicion that there may have been an illegal connection of electricity.
In another incident, a man was fighting for his life in hospital after his parental home burnt down on Saturday. According the man’s sister, he was allegedly using a two-plate stove to keep warm when the house caught fire. He sustained burn injuries to his body, face and head.
Mohlala has, once again, called for parents to be cautious during winter.
“We issued a warning before, and we are continuing to issue warnings, especially to parents, that they must be very cautious during this time,” he said.
