THE Hoxani Traditional Council was left shocked by the death of the chairman’s wife.
Mama Jester Nkuna (69) died in a fire that destroyed part of her family’s eight-room house in Mkhuhlu, outside Hazyview in Mpumalanga, on Wednesday 2 March.
Her husband, Luka (71), said he and their daughter, Khanyisa (46), had gone to the guest house.
“We received a call saying the house was on fire. My Jester was trapped inside the blaze,” he said.
“We called the police and firefighters from the Bushbuckridge Municipality, who joined residents and finally put the fire under control.
Saddened residents described Jester as a humble people’s person. They blamed the municipality for not giving firefighters enough resources.
“Firefighters ran out of water and left the scene. When they returned with water, it was already late,” said one resident.
Municipal spokesman, Claiton Khosa denied the allegations.
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“It’s not true that they don’t have enough resources,” he said.
Police spokesman, Captain Donal Mdhluli, said Calcutta police have opened up an inquest docket.
