Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - The Mpumalanga provincial government has failed to respond to calls that it should take responsibility for a fire that claimed the lives of two sets of twins at an informal settlement yesterday morning.
The office of provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela reported that the deadly fire broke out at Marikana informal settlement in Hendrina in the early hours.
It claimed the lives of four siblings aged 8 and 13, who were under the care of their 17-year-old brother.
“The police were called to the scene where a shack was on fire at Marikana informal settlement in Hendrina. On their arrival, they found it was true, and as a result the firefighters were also called to extinguish the fire.
“Unfortunately two sets of twins (two boys and two girls) were certified dead. It is not yet confirmed what might be the cause of the fire but loose cables were visible on the ground, which prompted a suspicion that there may have been an illegal connection of electricity,” said provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
Mohlala said police were told the mother of the children had left them alone when the incident happened.
“It is further alleged that the 33-year old mother of the deceased, an undocumented Mozambican national, left them three days ago in the care of their 17-year-old brother.
“When the fire broke out, the brother tried to save the lives of his siblings but couldn’t as the fire was already at an advanced stage.
“The mother and the 17-year-old have been taken to hospital in Middelburg as they are in a state of shock,” said Mohlala.
Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the fire.
Community activist Kopano Dibakwane said the only sin the children committed was to be born poor in a country that cared little for its people.
“The government has unashamedly prioritised corruption over the people. The poor communities are bearing the brunt of a failing state.
“It is horrific to watch these tragedies happen every year, especially around winter time. It goes to show the pressing need for adequate human settlements,” said Dibakwane.
Dibakwane has fought for the rights of “forgotten” residents, especially in the Thaba Tshweu local municipality, where ordinary people have been living on the brink of disaster.
He has previously written to the Human Rights Commission on a number of issues, including abuses reported at local clinics and the Sabie Hospital and horrific sanitation conditions affecting the elderly.
“There is no day that I do not receive calls from concerned community members on numerous issues. The provincial government has not lived up to its promises.
“In this Hendrina case the cause of death is not yet confirmed, but we can’t ignore the fact that the government is really facing a crisis of electricity. It’s clear that the capacity for power supply does not meet the growing demand.
“Hence people resort to dangerous measures to keep the lights on. Most governments ignore the needs of the people until it’s too late.
“At some stage the people are going to get tired and take a radical stance for change and the country might take some time to recover from that,” said Dibakwane.
George Mthethwa, spokesperson in the office of Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, said the matter would be handled better by the provincial Department of Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs.
“This is a disaster management issue, which is the mandate of the department,” said Mthethwa, referring the media query to its provincial spokesperson, Lindiwe Msibi.
However, Msibi’s phone repeatedly rang unanswered and she did not respond to text messages sent to her.
Pretoria News