THE Madonsela family from Dannhauser, KZN, is struggling to pick up the pieces after a mystery fire claimed the lives of their two loved ones.
On Sunday, 25 June, the family witnessed their home being destroyed by flames, leaving them with heartache and ashes. The mystery fire not only robbed them of their home but also claimed their mother's life, Thandi Madonsela (62) and her grandson, Yamkela Nzima (1).
Yamkela's mum, Anele Madonsela (31), said she was home with the victims when it happened but is still in the dark about what caused the fire.
She said she suspected that it was vutha, as there was no electricity fault detected, adding that the flames started on one of the sofas, which was not even near any electrical plug.
"I was sitting with them when someone knocked at the gate and I went to attend to them. I stepped out for only a few minutes and when I came back, one of the sofas was on fire, but I could not see what started the blaze," said Anele.
She said her mother, Thandi, wasn't able to walk without any help, so she decided to try and put off the fire before rushing to help her mother move out of the house.
Anele said that she tried to go and get water from the tap, but when she got to there, the water didn't come out, and she didn't know what was happening because she just froze.
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She said the only thing she remembers is that she called her mother to come out with her baby, as she couldn't get inside because of the blaze.
"She died holding my baby. That's the pain that will last a lifetime," said Anele.
Anele's older sister, Purity Madonsela (41), said they were still puzzled because the fire spread like wildfire and after a few minutes, it was off.
Amajuba District Mayor Prince Ndabuko Zulu visited the family. He promised to assist the family with all their needs during this difficult time.
Sangoma Mkhulu Bhekuyise Mhlongo said if the family believe it is vutha, they need to consult a sangoma quickly because it could come back and claim more lives.
"Vutha is an evil spell sent to do evil things. It must be stopped so that it doesn't strike again," said Mhlongo.
