An inquest case investigation continues following two children, aged four and five years of age old, were burnt to death with their mother in Klarinet last Saturday.
According to the police, the mother was with her son and daughter in their shack when the fire broke out. The father allegedly had left them to shop. “The cause might have been a two plate stove. It is suspected that the family might have been using the stove to warm themselves up, as it was cold.”
READ | Two sets of twins die in shack fire
“The mother allegedly fell asleep while the stove was on. Her shack caught fire and engulfed in flames with the mother and the two minors inside. We could not save the three and were certified dead on the scene. Police at Witbank are investigating three counts of inquest following the incident,” read the police statement.
This incident is among two separate ones that have occurred in a short period. In Hendrina, two sets of twins, aged eight and 13, were burnt to death in the early hours of July 5 in Hendrina. The police were called to the scene where the shack caught fire at Marikana Informal Settlement.
READ MORE | Taxi association chairperson shot dead
On police arrival, firefighters were called to extinguish the fire. The two sets of twins (two boys and two girls) were certified dead. In Matsulu, Victor Mashego sustained burnt wounds after his house caught fire on July 2. Inside the house, remains charred household items while he’s still treated in Rob Ferreira Hospital. He’s sister, Cynthia Mashego, said that he also fell asleep while he switched a two plate stove on which may have caused the fire.
