Man held after three killed in horror home fire

A Mdantsane man handed himself over to police on Monday after a five-year-old girl, the child’s mother and grandmother were burned to death after allegedly being locked inside a burning shack.

The man allegedly also tried to commit suicide by setting his own shack on fire while he was inside it.

Five-year-old Akhanani and her mother, Kholosa Mzendana, 34, burned to death while holding onto each other in their Boss Zonke Squatter Camp shack in Mdantsane zone 1.

Her grandmother, Ntombizanele, 61, died while trying to escape from the shack where the door had reportedly been tied shut with barbed wire.

She worked at a private hospital in Beacon Bay. Her daughter was unemployed.

The suspect, in his mid-30s, handed himself over to police and was taken to hospital after he sustained injuries while allegedly trying to take his own life by setting his shack on fire while he was inside.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday morning.

Neighbour Amanda Trower said Akhanani, who would have turned four in December, died while crying out for help as neighbours frantically tried in vain to save the family.

“The child was screaming, crying because of the heat. The screams carried on until they stopped.

“We asked some of the men to try to get to them using wet blankets but they would immediately dry up as soon as they were close to the fire.

“We tried to get to the grandmother because her body was next to the door.

“We could see she tried to escape, but she was already dead ... we could do nothing,” Trower said.

“The door couldn’t open properly because it was heavily wired.

“No-one heard any arguments; we just heard the child screaming, and they saw the fire.” 

On Monday morning, some of the family’s clothes were all that remained.

The area was flooded by water used by residents from a nearby stream in a futile attempt to stop the blaze.

Neighbour Zithobele Manyandube said it took them about three hours to extinguish the fire.

“I heard people shouting that there was fire and others were calling my name, I thought it was my shack that was burning, only to discover it was next door.

“We did everything in our power, but the fire was too strong. We feared it may spread to other homes, so we watered other yards to suppress it.

“We managed to save some of their clothes. Firefighters arrived very late at about 4am.

“Forensics managed to take the bodies because of some of the work we had done.”

Manyandube said no other shacks were affected.

East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala said firefighters had arrived at the area too late and the three bodies inside the shack were burned beyond recognition.

“The whole shack was engulfed by fire. Everything was burned down. The suspect has been taken to the hospital for treatment.”

Mqala said a case of arson and murder has been opened, and the investigation was ongoing.

The identity of the suspect cannot be revealed until he appears in court.

Efforts to get hold of the family of the victims were unsuccessful.

Speaking at the scene, councillor Dumisani Ntyabontyi said they were shocked by the events.

“I was in a party meeting when I heard the devastating news and immediately had to rush here.

“I wish I had been called sooner. This is a tragedy. What we will do is try to locate the families.

“We will then see the way forward. We will definitely intervene in any way possible,” he said.

In June 2024, more than 80 people were temporarily placed in the NU1 and NU7 community halls after heavy downpours left thousands of Eastern Cape families homeless and a number of people lost their lives.

Most of the residents were from Boss Zonke and other informal settlements in Mdantsane NU1.

More than 100 days later, about 33 people continued to find shelter at the NU1 community hall despite having been given material to build shacks by the Buffalo City Metro.

The group cited a shortage of building materials and fears of returning to their flood-stricken informal settlements.

Manyandube said shack fires and flooding were prevalent in the congested area.

“Just next to this shack, there was a fire. We have just tried opening some trenches for water to flow through these congested shacks. Firefighters even struggled to get through here,” he said.

Daily Dispatch