Grieving Husband Loses Wife and Two Cars in Shack Fire
Residents of Zone 14 in Marikana Informal Settlement, Philippi East, are in shock after a devastating fire claimed the life of a 38-year-old woman on Saturday, 9 November, around 2 am. The tragic blaze also destroyed 10 shacks and displaced more than 20 people.
The woman’s husband, in a desperate bid to save his family, managed to rescue their three children by breaking through the roof of their shack. However, despite his efforts, his wife tragically fell back into the flames and was unable to escape. The heartbroken husband also lost two vehicles—his bakkie and sedan—in the fire. When the SunTeam arrived at the scene, he was too traumatized to speak, with visible burn injuries on his hands and head from his attempts to save his wife.
Community members expressed their shock and grief. Zalisile Stemela, the street committee chairwoman, told Daily Sun, “The husband did everything he could to save his family, but sadly, he couldn’t save his wife.” Neighbor Portia Ntshinka, who also lost her shack, praised the father’s bravery and thanked the firefighters who responded quickly, preventing the fire from spreading further.
Police and Fire and Rescue services confirmed the incident. Captain Fredrick van Wyk of the Philippi East police stated that an inquest had been opened and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, with seven firefighting units and 30 personnel on the scene. Tragically, the woman was found burnt beyond recognition, and another person was hospitalized with burn injuries.
Authorities are calling on anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
