Cape Town – Two young sisters from Kalksteenfontein tragically perished in a fire on Monday evening, after their mother allegedly locked them inside their wendy house and left the premises with their baby sibling. The incident has sparked outrage and grief in the community, with neighbours accusing the mother of neglect.
The victims have been identified as four-year-old Janecke Gross and seven-year-old Nicolia Gross. Their grandmother is currently fighting for her life in hospital after sustaining critical injuries while attempting to rescue the girls from the blaze.
When the Daily Voice arrived at the scene in Soetkop Street, the charred remains of the wendy house stood as a grim testament to the tragedy. Community members were already working to clear the debris, while the grandmother's house bore extensive fire damage.
According to Mauricia Sondagh, a neighbour, the fire broke out shortly after 7pm. Her son had gone to call the girls for supper, as they often ate at her house, when he noticed the flames.
Mauricia recounted: “My son immediately ran back and said ‘mummy kom help, dit brand daarso’". When I got next door the flames were coming from inside the wendy house and was coming out by the door. I called all the neighbours for help."
She further explained that the grandmother had been at a neighbour's house when the fire erupted. "When she saw what was going on she ran inside to try and save them but the entire place was full of uncontrollable flames. They had to get the ouma out through the roof because there was no way out for her. There was nothing anyone could do," Mauricia said, adding, "I kept shouting ‘die kinders’ because I knew they were inside.”
The Daily Voice has learned that the girls' mother has a history of drug abuse, and their father is currently incarcerated. According to neighbours, this was not the first time the children had been left unattended in the wendy house.
Mauricia stated: “When the community called the mother to say her place was burning, she just threw the key and kept walking. She never came to check and till now we haven’t seen their mother yet.” This alleged callousness has further fuelled the community's anger and condemnation.
Another neighbour reported that the girls' cries for help may have been masked by a sound check taking place at a nearby church.
Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City’s Fire & Rescue Service, confirmed that firefighters were alerted to the blaze in Soetkop Street at approximately 7.10pm.
"Crews from Epping and Bellville were dispatched to the scene and found two informal structures alight," Carelse reported. "By 8.30pm, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire that destroyed two informal structures and partially damaged two formal dwellings." Tragically, the bodies of the two young sisters were discovered beneath the debris and were declared deceased by medical personnel.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that the circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
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