Other than hundreds of accidental blazes, Cape Town fire-fighters have rushed to put out at least 30 fires thought to have been started deliberately this year.
In the most recent fire under a police inquest investigation, Theresa Jantjies, 26, who was pregnant and expecting twins, and her three small children were burnt to death in their shack in Tafelsig early on Monday.
Mitchells Plain police station spokesperson Ian Williams said arson and other causes had not been ruled out.
Between April 1 last year and March 31 this year, police investigated 629 cases of arson across the Western Cape - more than 100 more than the 595 cases recorded three years ago.
Theo Layne, a platoon commander at the Cape Town Fire Command and Control Centre, said a number of arson cases might have gone unreported.
This made it difficult to calculate how many people had died in fires that had been set deliberately.
From the beginning of this year up to last week, firefighters had attended to at least 18 fires reported to have been started intentionally.
Most involved cars that had been set alight, but shops and shacks had also been purposely burnt down, Lane said.
Nearly two weeks ago, six cars were torched at a parliamentary village in Goodwood. An MP believed the culprits were the children of other MPs.
In January, Philip Prins, manager of fire and technical services for Table Mountain National Park, said it was suspected that 12 fires, all of which broke out in less than a month between Red Hill and Ocean View, had been started deliberately.
Williams said that Jantjies's relatives had been questioned, as routine procedure, about the fire in which the young woman died with 11-month-old Aneke, three-year-old Antonio and six-year-old Preston.
Jantjies's family remained in shock yesterday.
The young woman's sister, Yumna Abrahams, said Jantjies's husband had awakened her and her mother about 3am.
They heard screaming and when they ran outside saw that Jantjies's shack was on fire.
It was not yet known what had caused the blaze, Abrahams said.
Marietta Neumann, a medical researcher for Children of Fire, a non-governmental organisation that helps young burn victims, said domestic disputes and emotions such as jealousy often spurred a person to start a fire to hurt those with whom they were in a relationship.
People targeted in arson attacks were often severely burnt because they were trapped in their homes, Neumann said.
- Cape Times
In the most recent fire under a police inquest investigation, Theresa Jantjies, 26, who was pregnant and expecting twins, and her three small children were burnt to death in their shack in Tafelsig early on Monday.
Mitchells Plain police station spokesperson Ian Williams said arson and other causes had not been ruled out.
Between April 1 last year and March 31 this year, police investigated 629 cases of arson across the Western Cape - more than 100 more than the 595 cases recorded three years ago.
Theo Layne, a platoon commander at the Cape Town Fire Command and Control Centre, said a number of arson cases might have gone unreported.
This made it difficult to calculate how many people had died in fires that had been set deliberately.
From the beginning of this year up to last week, firefighters had attended to at least 18 fires reported to have been started intentionally.
Most involved cars that had been set alight, but shops and shacks had also been purposely burnt down, Lane said.
Nearly two weeks ago, six cars were torched at a parliamentary village in Goodwood. An MP believed the culprits were the children of other MPs.
In January, Philip Prins, manager of fire and technical services for Table Mountain National Park, said it was suspected that 12 fires, all of which broke out in less than a month between Red Hill and Ocean View, had been started deliberately.
Williams said that Jantjies's relatives had been questioned, as routine procedure, about the fire in which the young woman died with 11-month-old Aneke, three-year-old Antonio and six-year-old Preston.
Jantjies's family remained in shock yesterday.
The young woman's sister, Yumna Abrahams, said Jantjies's husband had awakened her and her mother about 3am.
They heard screaming and when they ran outside saw that Jantjies's shack was on fire.
It was not yet known what had caused the blaze, Abrahams said.
Marietta Neumann, a medical researcher for Children of Fire, a non-governmental organisation that helps young burn victims, said domestic disputes and emotions such as jealousy often spurred a person to start a fire to hurt those with whom they were in a relationship.
People targeted in arson attacks were often severely burnt because they were trapped in their homes, Neumann said.
- Cape Times
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