The news of the death of Springs’ mother, Moipone Ramasedi, and her newborn baby has sent shockwaves through the community.

Neighbours of Moipone, who died in a house fire in Struisbult on Saturday morning, while her newborn later died in hospital, described the incident as heartbreaking and deeply tragic.

Tshepiso Modiga was among the first on the scene after noticing something unusual. The fire happened at around 01:00.

“I was coming from Daggafontein. Then I heard noises, and I thought there was a party happening. When I looked, I realised there was a fire,” he said.

Modiga says he was unable to access the property on his own, so he called for help from a neighbour.

“I tried to jump the fence, but I couldn’t because of the dog in the yard. I called Juan, he’s the only one I know in this street, and I told him to come with a bucket of water,” he said.

Koos Ackermann, who responded alongside his son Juan, said the situation escalated rapidly as flames engulfed the home.

“My son called me. We came running out and found the house burning. He jumped the fence because there were too many flames and started dousing the flames with water,” Ackermann said.

Amid the chaos, Moipone’s 12-year-old daughter managed to escape the house.

“We were shouting for help when she came out. She was hysterical, she kept screaming that her family was in the house,” Ackermann said

He says the daughter unlocked the gate for them to enter. Despite their efforts, Ackermann said the intensity of the fire made it impossible to enter the home.

“We tried to go into the house, but the flames were too much. Then we heard the baby crying. The baby was between the wall and an outside gate. It seems that the mother managed to place the baby there for safety,” he said.

The neighbours managed to rescue the infant.

“My son grabbed the baby. My wife and our family took the baby to the ambulance to be taken to the hospital,” he said.

Ackerman said emergency services later confirmed that only one body was found inside the home. He also recalled the moment the children’s father arrived at the scene.

“The father arrived while everything was happening. He ran into the house screaming for his wife and children, but he had to evacuate,” he said.

Both neighbours described the incident as devastating.

“It’s really unfortunate what happened here, it’s a tragedy”, Modiga said.

A memorial service was held for Moipone and her baby on April 22. Funeral details have not yet been confirmed.

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