DJ’s son dies in fire

Club 808 presenter, Clive ‘DJ C Live’ Shabalala’s son has died in a fire at his home in Bez Valley.

The incident occurred shortly after 10pm on Sunday last week.

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson, Ms Nana Radebe, said the preliminary investigation indicated a bar heater caused the fire that killed Nadif Kgoleng (11).

His grandmother, Mrs Virginia Shabalala, said she heard her grandson’s cries and the desperation in his son’s voice.

“Clive was hysterical, crying and saying the house was on fire. He said Nadif was burning. I could hear my grandson crying in the background,” said Mrs Shabalala.

Mrs Shabalala said she was in Bergville, Kwazulu-Natal, when she received the news.

“I cannot confirm what happened but the fire investigators say the fire may have been started by a heater. His father saw it too late. He sustained some burn wounds from trying to save his son. My grandson died in the fire,” she said.

The grandfather, Mr Alfred Shabalala, described his grandson as a warm, loving child.

“He was warm and intelligent. A child who would not resort to violence even when he was angry, even when playing with other children. He collected many awards at school,” said Mr Shabalala senior.

Mrs Shabalala said Nadif’s mother had committed suicide in February this year.

Delays in responding

The EMS denied it responded late to the fire in which Nadif died.

This statement was issued by the EMS in response to comments made by the ward 66 councillor, Clr Carlos da Rocha, and some eye witnesses.

“Though I don’t blame them for the death of the child, it took more than 15 minutes to get to the scene and more than 15 minutes to connect to the hydrant before the firefighters could start extinguishing the fire.

“The Fairview Fire Station is about five minutes from the scene, when there is no traffic. There is no reason for them to take that long,” he said.

The EMS spokesperson, Ms Nana Radebe, said the Beria Fire Station was the appropriate station to respond.

“According to our work demarcation, Bez Valley is serviced by the Beria Fire Station. The Fairview Fire Station caters for Jeppe and the surrounding areas.

“Our records state that we were on-time when responding. We received a call at 10.40pm. We dispatched Beria Fire Station vehicles at 10.44pm and arrived at the house by 10.57pm. When we arrived, the community was helping to extinguish the fire,” she said.

She said no complaints were received by her office about a delay.

“It is the standard procedure that when we arrive at the scene of a fire, we connect to a hydrant if possible. We connect to the hydrant even though the truck has 3 000 litres of water in it. Without the hydrant, the water in the truck would last for only three to five minutes. That is why we connect to the hydrant,” she said.

Ms Radebe said that according to the records, everything was done in time.

At the time of going to print, Clive ‘DJ C Live’ Shabalala was still in hospital, being treated for injuries he sustained trying to save his son.

The funeral arrangements have not been finalised yet.