Police officer reflects on one of the scariest days of his life
SOPHIATOWN – Imagine coming home and seeing that a fire had ravaged through your home. This was the reality of one police officer.
Families were evacuated from the 15-story Sophiatown police flats after a fire broke out on the eighth floor on 6 July.
For one resident,Warrant Officer Jabu Mabuza it was a moment of panic on the day as he had left his children in their flat after being called to assist his wife with a car-related issue not too far from Sophiatown.
Mabuza explained what happened on that extremely traumatic day. He said, “After helping my wife, I made my way back to the flat. I had left my children there and knew they were safe. When I got here, I saw the fire and immediately panicked about them. As soon as I approached the building I found them sitting outside and was relieved.”
He sat outside the building waiting for the emergency services to completely extinguish the fire and once given the green light, he went up the eight flights of stairs fearing the worst. Upon his arrival, his biggest fear became a reality. Everything in the apartment was burned to a crisp. He was informed that his unit was most affected by the fire and that the cause was still unknown.
Demoralised, he realised that all that his family had owned had gone up in smoke. When asked what he thought caused the fire he said, “I have no idea what happened.” A
The authorities have yet to establish what the cause of the fire was and are investigating the matter.
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