Another man (51) dies in a shack fire in eMbalenhle
Sibeko is the second person to lose his life in a shack fire in eMbalenhle this winter.
eMBALENHLE- Mandla Sibeko (51) was burned beyond recognition in a shack fire in Ext 15, eMbalenhle, on Sunday morning, July 3.
According to the residents, the shack caught fire when the electricity was switched back on after Govan Mbeki’s municipal load-shedding.
“We were without electricity for the whole day on Saturday due to Eskom and municipal load-shedding. We cannot distinguish which led to this incident.”
They believe the cause of the fire is the continuous electricity outages.
“How can the electricity be switched on at 02:00 while we are sleeping?
“It is dangerous for us because we are not notified if they switch it off or on.
“If it goes off while someone is cooking and they forget to switch off plugs, what will happen when it is switched back on later?,” asked a resident.
Residents claimed that if both Eskom and the municipal load-shedding schedules can be available to them, incidents like this may be avoided.
Sibeko is the second person to lose his life in a shack fire in eMbalenhle this winter.
Lucky Mthombeni (24) also died in his shack in Ext 14 last month.
Sibeko’s mother, Thandi Buciko, told Ridge Times that her son was living alone in the shack and she is still stunned by the manner in which he died.
“I was shocked when I received a call that my child is dead.
“I am living in Vrede and he was living here alone.
“I was told that the community members were woken up by a taxi hooting to alert people of the burning shack.”
Neighbours tried to extinguish the fire but it spread too fast. Firefighters were able to put out the fire.
“At first, the community thought my son might have slept somewhere else because they checked through the window and did not see anyone on his bed.
“However, a firefighter discovered his body next to the door.”
Buciko said her family is currently waiting for the post mortem that will determine the course of death.
She claimed that her son was working for an electrical company that is contracted to the municipality, and he had been electrocuted many times.
She said last month, Sibeko was injured when attending an electricity complaint in the area.eMbalenhle Police have opened an inquest.
The cause of the fire is yet unknown.
Sibeko was buried in Vrede on Sunday, July 10.
The acting communications manager for the Govan Mbeki Municipality, Donald Green, conveyed the municipality’s condolences to the family of the deceased.
Green said the cause of the fire could not be established immediately, but the fire team did attend to the scene.
“The municipality wants to advise the community about preventing fires during this cold season and load-shedding.”
Safety tips to prevent fires:
- Prevent veld fires, do not discard cigarette buds.
- Never leave children alone with burning candles, cooking stoves and braisers.
- Keep matches and lighters away from children.
- Never leave candles, cooking stoves and heaters unattended.
- Do not connect electricity illegally and avoid overloading of plugs.
- Disconnect all electric appliances during load-shedding.
- Smoking in bed is dangerous.
- Make firebreaks and keep your yards clean and weed-free.
- If a fire breaks out, warn people in your home to get out.
How to get out of a house that is on fire:
- Crawl low under the smoke and if your clothes catch on fire, you must not run. Instead, stop, drop and roll.
- Have more than one escape door in your home where possible
- Dial 107 (landline) & 112 (Cellphone) 017 620 6290.
