Shock as mother and daughter perish in fire

The residents of Maname-Paradise in Nzhelele are still recovering after Ms Joyce Mashimbyi (39) and her daughter, Rinae Sithulame (5), were killed in a fire last Sunday night.

Mashimyi's 10-year-old son, Frans Sithulame, survived the incident. He is recovering from severe burns in the Siloam Hospital. According to reports, members of the community tried to save Mashimbyi and her daughter, but the two had already burned to ashes.

The three were sleeping in their one roomed-mud house when the incident happened. The cause of the fire is still not known. Mphephu police spokesperson W/O Lazarus Netshidzati said that the police had opened an inquest docket, following the incident.

"Members of the community alerted us about the burning house, and when we got there, the two victims had already burned to death. We had to collect their remains for forensic investigation," Netshidzati said. He added that the police were still busy investigating the cause of the fire.

Maname-Paradise falls within the jurisdiction of the Makhado Municipality. Meanwhile, municipal spokesperson Louis Bobodi said that the municipality had donated food parcels and disaster relief tents to the affected family. He added that the municipality was currently liaising with other stakeholders for assistance in this regard.

The family is experiencing financial constraints to bury their loved ones. Anyone who can assist the family can contact Cllr Mbulaheni Magada at 072 581 2431.

Date:23 July 2012

By: Peter Muthambi

Peter Muthambi graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies. He started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror as well as national papers in 2006. He loves investigative journalism and is also a very keen photographer.

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