FOLLOW UP: A month later, Villa Lisa fire victims still not buried as families plead for closure
The grieving Mthabela and Shabalala families say they’re living in emotional limbo, waiting for DNA results to bury their loved ones.
It has been over four weeks since a shack fire in Villa Lisa claimed the lives of four children, yet the grieving families say they are still waiting to lay their little ones to rest.
The fire, which broke out on the night of June 27, ripped through two shacks and killed the children, aged between four and 14.
The Mthabela and Shabalala families say their pain is being prolonged by an agonising wait for DNA identification results, which are required before the bodies can be released for burial.
The young victims were Anele Shabalala (14), Liyakha Shabalala (5), and half-brothers Nkazimulo and Mfanelo Mthabela, both aged four.
“We feel like we’re being held hostage by this process,” said Nomfundo Shabalala, the sister of one of the children.
“We’re not asking for special treatment. We just want answers. We want our children back so we can bury them properly,” she added.
Also Read: Villa Liza family crushed by guilt over fire that killed four children
For the families, time has stood still since the night of the fire. They remain frozen in mourning, unable to find any form of closure.
“We’re not okay. We wake up every day hoping for a call saying we can identify them and start preparing for the funeral. But there’s just silence.”
Two of the four children had been visiting from KwaZulu-Natal during the school holidays. What was meant to be a joyful visit, the family says, turned into a nightmare.
“We feel helpless,” said Ntanteza Ntuli, grandmother of two of the children. “We can’t even say goodbye. It’s like their souls are trapped.”
Silence and frustration
The families say they’ve received minimal communication from authorities and no clear timeline for when the DNA results will be finalised.
The Boksburg Advertiser reached out to Dawn Park SAPS for comment on the delay, but no response had been received by the time of publication.
The Mthabela and Shabalala families added that the delay has also affected the broader community, many of whom have offered support since the tragedy.
“People came to pray, to bring food, to sit with us. But now it’s been weeks, and they’re also wondering, what is taking so long?”
Also Read: Dignity denied: DNA delays stall burial of shack fire victims
