A two-year-old baby girl did not make it out alive when a shack caught fire in the Nellmapius area recently.
The fire was one of several tragic incidents that took place at different times from Thursday, last week.
According to Ward 86 councillor Kholofelo Kgopotso, who attended the incidents, a total of four shacks burned to the ground.
She said the shack fire affected four families; the first shack fire happened in Plot 61 Smith informal settlement, and the second in the backyard rooms in Nellmapius Ext 1.
The disaster management services attended to the first incident near the N4 Gateway, where a baby died.
She said in the two incidents, nobody knew the cause of the fire, and three shacks burned to the ground.
The mother of the two-year-old said she was out fetching water when the fire started.
Ntswaki Nthakong, left her child as she fetched water a few metres away.
She recalls neighbours shouting that her shack was on fire.
Nthakong said she threw the bucket away and rushed back, where she found the shack on fire.
“The fire had already spread all over, and I tried everything I could in my power to save my daughter, but community members restrained me,” she said.
She helplessly watched the fire consume her baby daughter.
Father of the child, Tshidiso Radiapeng, said he was at work when the incident occurred.
He said he could not believe his daughter, who was full of joy, could leave him so soon.
Radiapeng said all their belongings perished in the fire, including their passports, clothes, and furniture, and that they were only left with the clothes that they were wearing.
The couple said they would appreciate any kind of help from the public.
Tapfumanneyi Chikurunhe of Mamelodi Ext 1 also reported that he lost his home to a fire.
Chikurunhe, who stayed alone, said while he was at work, he had received a call from his neighbour to report that his shack was on fire.
He said he rushed home and could not believe his eyes when he arrived.
Chikurunhe said he discovered that he had lost all his belongings in the fire.
Another resident, Chipo Rugodo said she does not know where to start the rebuild because everything she owned perished in the fire.
Rugodo, the mother of a seven-month-old baby boy, said she is now homeless and forced to seek refuge with her neighbours.
She said she had stayed in the home for almost three years but now has nowhere to go.
She added that she did not know the cause of the fire, but when it broke, she was not home but out in the streets selling items.
Councillor Khopotso said she rushed to the scene as soon as she received the news of the shack fires.
She said she called Tshwane disaster management to help the family that lost the two-month-old baby girl, and shelter was arranged.
Temporary shelter was arranged for the three families but they declined the offer.
They said, “They have relatives that they can go live with,” said Khopotso.
“We are working so hard for our community; irrespective of where the victims originally come from or which political party they are affiliated to, we don’t discriminate,” said Khopotso.
She pleaded with local businessmen and the community at large to help the affected families with any form of donation.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
