Tsau father, son perish in fire
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday October 4, 2022 06:00
Sehithwa Police Station commander, Nshaki Mabophiwa confirmed they are investigating the deaths of a father and son, who died in a fire.
The deceased father, 43, and son, eight, died on Independence Day at around 2am.
The Police are yet to establish the cause of the fire. According to Mabophiwa, they received a report about the fire incident from a 42-year-old man.
The 42-year-old man reported that he was called by a friend for a transportation favour as they wanted to travel from Semboyo to Makakung villages.
“The same man reported that he told his friend that his car did not have fuel, but he suggested that he can go and collect petrol using two containers of five litres from a certain man in his locality (Tsau village),” he said.
The police chief added that when the same man arrived at the alleged fuel provider's (deceased man) place, he told him that he was expecting him. He further stated that the duo proceeded to the fuel supplier’s thatched room and managed to fill the first and second containers with petrol and returned to the car.
Upon completing to fuel the car, the 42-year-old man attempted to start the engine but failed due to unknown car complications, Mabophiwa added.
He highlighted that the deceased man came out of his hut to help with starting the engine but whilst doing so they both heard an explosion from the deceased's house. “At that moment, he said that the hut was on fire and the boy (eight) was screaming for his father to help him as he was stuck inside the same house. The father then ran to the engulfed house and jumped into the fire in an attempt to help his son.
Sadly both of them did not make it out alive,” Mabophiwa said. It is suspected that the deceased man was selling petrol because it was stored in large containers. Sehithwa Police Station commander could not confirm nor deny if indeed the man was selling the petrol as investigations are ongoing. He said that according to the 42-year-old, when collecting the fuel he saw some light but could not confirm if it was a candle or torch used at the time. Mabophiwa urged the community at large to refrain from selling petrol from their homes.
If one wants to start a fuel business, they should get a licence and use an appropriate facility to run their fuel business, he advised. Investigations of this matter are still ongoing.