Children found dead under a bed after Ladysmith house fire

The Ladysmith community is mourning the sad passing of four members of the Hlubi family, who died as a result of a fire in Ezakheni B-section.

On July 30, the Hlubi household suffered a triple tragedy when three children – namely Enzo Mabaso (8 months), Angel Mabaso (10) and MoMo Mabaso (7) – died in a house fire. The three children were in the Hlubi family residence when the house caught alight.

A Ladysmith Gazette reporter conducted an exclusive interview with family member Thembile Hlubi, who cried constantly as she spoke. “It was around 3am in the morning when I received a phone call from a family member who resides in Ezakheni C3-Section to inform me that our family house in B-section was on fire.

“For a moment, I didn’t know what to do, as it was still the early hours of the morning and I didn’t have a vehicle to take me to Section B. Later, I received help. When I got there, I just said, ‘God, what is happening to my family?’ The neighbours said they didn’t know what had happened, as they just saw the house in flames.

“Eight-month-old Enzo was found lying dead in my sister’s (grandmother of the children) arms and my sister was lying on the floor unconscious. 10-year-old Angel and seven-year-old Momo were found dead under the bed. It looks as if they were trying to hide themselves from the fire.”

The family suffered another loss when 58-year-old grandmother Philisiwe Hlubi died the following day in hospital, taking the death toll in the family to four.

Also read: Triple tragedy as 3 children die in Ezakheni house fire

On Saturday, August 1, KZN MEC for Cogta Sipho Hlomuka, KZN MEC for Social Development Nonhlanhla Khoza and Alfred Duma Local Municipality Mayor Vincent Madlala visited the Hlubi family in Ezakheni.

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or  for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!