An elderly resident from Ha-Manavhela village in the Kutama area died on Sunday morning when the Foromo family's nine-room house burnt down.
According to the family spokesperson, Mr Dineo Foromo, the incident happened at around midnight. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The incident claimed the life of a 99-year-old family member, Mr Classy Malewa, who was sleeping and succumbed to the flames.
According to Foromo, he only became aware of the situation when he heard noises and the sound of glass breaking. "I heard noises coming from another room. I rushed there and found that there was a lot of smoke and the house was on fire," he said. "We tried to extinguish the fire while at the same time trying to call the police and firefighters, but the fire was very fierce," he said.
He said that he remembered shouting for help in the hope that more people could come to assist and perhaps salvage some of their belongings. "But we were too late, and almost everything in the house was destroyed," he said. People from the village gathered at the homestead but could do nothing. When the firefighters arrived at the scene, they doused the flames. He said that he suspected the cause of the fire to have been an electrical fault. He estimates the damage at approximately R800 000. The fire also seriously damaged the roof and the walls of all nine rooms.
A plea was made to community members and the business sector to assist the family with food, clothes, school uniforms and books. "The family wants to repair the house, but it seems as if it will be difficult," said Vhamusanda Vho-Nkhangweni Manavhela.
The Makhado Municipality's mayor, Cllr Shonisani Sinyosi, visited the family on Sunday. She urged members of the bereaved family and all stakeholders involved in the preparations for the funeral to be united and work together to ensure that he gets a dignified funeral.
The police spokesperson, Lt Col Moatshe Ngoepe, said the fire was reported at around 00:00. He confirmed that a man had died inside the house.
The old man will be buried on Saturday at Ha-Makgato at 06:00.