TV actor dies in fire

A popular television and stage drama actor from Hammanskraal has died in a house fire.

Buti Morake was found dead after his house in Ramotse Section burned down in the early hours of Sunday.

Police responded to the fire in Ramotse, Hammanskraal, in the early hours of Sunday, said spokesperson Lieutenant Sarah Lesabane.

“The neighbours saw the blaze and reacted quickly.”

To all indications, Morake was asleep when the house caught fire.

“He fell off his bed as he tried to get up and died,” said Lesabane.

Lesabane said residents put out the fire, but not in time to rescue Morake.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Lesabane said police were investigating.

“No one else was injured and no family members were in the house.”

On Monday morning, Morake’s grieving family asked for opportunity to deal with their loss before speaking to the media.

Morake rose to prominence in the 1970s with his role as Mr Dustbin or Rarantsa in the SABC2 drama The Death of a Queen.

He performed in more than 50 plays, including Mr Dustbin and Zabalaza.

At the time of his death, he was a drama director at his Otampho School of Art, a drama school he opened in 2006.

In a recent interview with Rekord, Morake said the school was meant to unearth talent and encourage young people to develop an interest in acting.

He was busy with Ngobi Ngobeza, a stage play which he wrote based on the daily life in rural Hammanskraal.

The themes of his plays were HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancy and substance abuse.

“I am just a simple storyteller who likes to express my stories dramatically,” he said.

“I have performed in churches and school halls and sometimes had up to 500 people [in the audience.”

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