A 57-year-old woman and her 23-year-old grandson died after a fire destroyed their family home at the Joko Tea informal settlement in Bophelong, a township near Vanderbijlpark, on Monday (September 28), reports the Sedibeng Ster.

Maria Khunou (57) and Mpho Khunou (23) were trapped inside the three-room shack where the family of six lived when the blaze broke out at about 23:00.

Trapped in flames

Matseleng Khunou, a family spokesperson and eyewitness, recalled the moments leading to the tragedy.

“It was around 23:00 when I heard screams calling for help from my mom’s bedroom. My son and I went through the flames trying to save my mom but failed to come out with her. All I recall was how my son also never made it out of the violent flames,” she said.

Matseleng said neighbours rushed to the family’s aid as the fire spread.

“Residents tried to put out the fire, but because of the magnitude of the fire, they couldn’t calm the blaze down. We called firefighters who came and assisted, but it was a little too late,” she said.

The fire destroyed the family’s home and all their belongings, leaving the surviving family members homeless.

Funeral arrangements stalled

Matseleng said the family faces additional complications in planning the funeral.

“What’s even worse is that both my mother and son do not possess identity documents. We don’t know how we are going to go about planning the funeral. We are now left with my brother. It is hard to come to terms with what transpired,” she said.

The Khunou family is appealing to members of the public for assistance as they try to arrange the funerals and rebuild their lives.

Vanderbijlpark police had not confirmed the incident at the time of publishing.

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