A RELATIVE of one the two people who died in a fire in Gugulethu yesterday has been arrested.
Zamile Mqokeli, 46, and his girlfriend, 50, were burnt to death after their home in Mqokeli’s sister’s backyard was set alight.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut confirmed the arrest of a 41-year-old man.
“He was arrested this morning on murder charges and will appear in court tomorrow. We cannot reveal what he said, as he still has to appear in court,” said Traut.
Zamile’s sister, Nozipho Mqokeli, 58, said she had heard people shouting “Kuyatsha! Kuyatsha!” (It’s burning! It’s burning!”) at about 1am and found her brother’s home in flames.
City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesman, Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, said Mqokeli and his girlfriend had been burnt “beyond recognition”.
Mqokeli said the two had been drunk and passed out at the time.
While the City of Cape Town has put plans in motion to set up a task team comprising members of the Disaster Risk Management and fire services to look into fires, hundreds of people continue to die in shack fires.
Since January, about 1 400 people have been left destitute while 260 shacks were gutted in fires.
Last year’s figures showed that 115 people had died in fires in informal settlements.
The city has run public awareness campaigns to reduce fires in vulnerable communities where pamphlets were handed out to educate residents about fire safety and preventative measures.
People were also urged not to build their homes on top of fire hydrants because when the water is finished in a fire service vehicle’s tank, firemen need to use the fire hydrant.
The most recent fires included:
- March 12: Sivuyile Maglasana, 27, died in a shack fire in Du Noon.
- March 5: an elderly woman, Noluzile Ngcwama, died; more than 100 shacks were destroyed and more than 850 people displaced after a fire swept through Langa.
- February 13: a toddler was killed in a fire in Valhalla Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment