Sisters die in Philippi shack fire

The charred remains of the Nongwe family’s shack where the bodies of sisters, Nolubabalo and Sinovuyo, were found on Thursday after a fire at Thabo Mbeki informal settlement in Philippi. Photo: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik

Two sisters died when the shack they were sleeping in burnt down in Thabo Mbeki informal settlement in Philippi on Thursday.

According to the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, it received the emergency call at just before 2am. When firefighters arrived, they found several homes alight but managed to contain and extinguish the fire.

Sisters Nolubabalo, 26, and Sinovuyo Nongwe, 17, were declared dead at the scene.

Their father, Toto Nongwe, said he was at work when the fire happened. He said his eldest son, wife and grandchild were also not home at the time.

“When I got here their lifeless bodies were there under the zincs … I might not be sure of what really happened but the fire started when electricity came back on. I suspect it started from the electricity box,” said Nongwe.

“This is a very sad time for us as a family. I never imagined losing two children at once. Nolubabalo was so helpful as she was working and I had so much hope for Sinovuyo who was doing grade 11,” he said.

“We lost everything. I don’t even know where we are going to sleep tonight in this rain. This is just too much,” he said.

Community leader Mila Mpayipheli said, “When we got here people were trying to open the burglar gate and we could hear the cry of people inside begging for help.

“We tried to fight the fire by throwing water and sand but unfortunately we failed,” she said. “What frustrated us mostly was to hear people crying inside until they went quiet,” said Mpayipheli.

Mpayipheli said this was the second fatal fire in less than two months.

“It’s time the government built us houses. I have been living in this place since 1992, and for years we have been promised houses but nothing is happening,” she said.

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