Final respect paid to mother and 3 sons who died in shack fire in eMbalenhle
The Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela, said she is disheartened by the incident.
A woman and her three children who perished in a shack fire on May 12 were laid to rest in eMbalenhle on May 21.
Winnie Dhludhlu (48) and her three children, Simphiwe (15), Bongani (10) and Ndumiso (5) died inside their home in Ext 18.
Winnie’s husband and father of the children, Lucky Maduwa, was at work when their home burned down. He was visibly traumatised and had to be held up by family at the funeral service.
Community members from eMbalenhle and learners and teachers from Alan Makhunga Primary School and Ikusasalethy Comprehensive School, where the Dhludhlu children attended school, came in numbers to pay their last respects.
Speaking on behalf of the Dhludhlu family, Zanele Dhludhlu, half-sister to Winnie, said the family is aware of the rumours that Winnie had set the fire, but only Winnie and God know the truth of what happened that day.
“The Dhludhlu family thank the community of eMbalenhle for their efforts in trying to extinguish the fire.
“In incidents such as these, some people stand far away to avoid having to answer questions, but our family is proud of the eMbalenhle community,” said Dhludhlu.
Some of the community members took to social media alleging that Winnie came home from work and called her three boys inside their house.
They alleged that the oldest son was playing soccer at Wellas Sports Field when he was also called by his mother.
While they were inside their house, community members noticed that the house was on fire and they tried to extinguish the blaze.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality regional manager responsible for eMbalenhle, Mangaliso Mashiane, appealed to the community to stop throwing stones at firefighters when they arrive at a scene.
Mashiane said that can cause delays in the arrival time of the firefighters, which can then lead to the death of those who are inside a burning building and the destruction of property.
“Our firefighters are working under trauma, just like in this incident, they had to remove four burned bodies. The municipality has to arrange psychological counselling for the firefighters who attended this scene,” said Mashiane.
The police said the investigation is ongoing and the cause of the fire is yet unknown. Four counts of the inquest are being investigated.
The Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela, said she is disheartened by the incident.
She called on families to use sources of energy cautiously, more especially in winter. Manamela said families should also make use of social services whenever they undergo difficulties.
