Little girl (5) is laid to rest after shack fire
THE remains of a 5-year-old girl who burnt to death in Kgapane, Bolobedu were finally laid to rest last weekend thanks to the Greater Letaba Municipality opening their hearts and their wallets to assist with the funeral arrangements.
TZANEEN – THE remains of a 5-year-old girl who burnt to death in Kgapane, Bolobedu were finally laid to rest last weekend thanks to the Greater Letaba Municipality opening their hearts and their wallets to assist with the funeral arrangements and the financial implications thereof.
Maropeng Ramahlo’s daughter, Lebogang, burnt to death while she was asleep in her shack in Home-2000 in Kgapane a fortnight ago. Lebogang was with her younger siblings when the fire started in their shack.
They were sleeping after their mother went to work at a shopping centre in Kgapane at around 10:00. Neighbours stood helplessly by as the shack was engulfed in fire. The other children managed to escape the burning shack but Lebogang did not.
A neighbour, Joseph Maunatlala, described Lebogang as a very active child who was well-groomed and raised well. He described her as an intelligent and God-fearing child. He said she was always respectful.
Speaker after speaker at the funeral spoke of the way in which the fire had robbed them of a loving daughter, neighbour and scholar.
“The death of one child is one too many. This untimely death of this child has robbed us of a future leader. Her mother is an energetic member of this community.
“We believe this child had emulated the wisdom and courage of her mother. Through her, this community would have had a leader in waiting, a compatriot and a fellow fighter,” Greater Letaba mayor, Godfrey City Modjadji, said.
Modjadji said the Bolobedu area had been covered by a dark cloud since the advent of March.
“We have had the despicable way in which our nine-year-old girl, Ria Letsoalo, was kidnapped, strangled and killed before her body was buried in a shallow grave.
“As if that was not enough, we received the sad news that another child, five-years-old, had disappeared in the Sekgopo area and had been missing for almost a month now. The child was on her way to school and has not been seen since.
“Lebogang’s death was the latest tragic news we have had,” he said.
ANC regional secretary, Bisekopo Makamo said a child must bury his or her parents and not the other way round. He said it was common knowledge that it took two parents to give birth to a child but the whole community to raise that child.
