By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – Heartbreak and sorrow have gripped the village of Makeneng after a devastating house fire claimed the life of nine-month-old Mpopie Ramohloki on Sunday night, June 15.
The infant’s body was discovered in one of the bedrooms and declared dead at the scene by emergency medical services. The family suspects a power surge following a blackout may have sparked the blaze, raising fresh concerns over the area’s ongoing electricity crisis.
Family spokesperson Chere Motaung said the fire broke out shortly before midnight, just after electricity was restored following an outage. “Everyone had gone to bed, except for a matric learner who had just returned home from a study camp nearby,” Motaung explained.
“We’re still trying to determine the exact cause of the fire, but we suspect the constant power cuts are to blame. It seems the power surged when it came back, possibly causing the meter box to explode.” Motaung added that the matric learner managed to rescue other young children from the house. However, Mpopie’s grandmother and mother suffered severe burns while trying to save the baby. Free State police confirmed an inquest docket has been opened at Tseseng Police Station to investigate the cause of the fire.
“We can confirm that several victims, including an adult woman and a 12-year-old boy, sustained burn injuries and were in stable condition at Elizabeth Ross Hospital. Sadly, the body of a nine-month-old girl was discovered in the bedroom and declared deceased at the scene,” said police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle.
Due to the ongoing water crisis in the area and the delayed arrival of emergency services, community members were forced to use soil in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames.
EFF Member of the Free State Provincial Legislature, Amelia Tshabalala, placed the blame squarely on the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality for the recurring power and water outages.
“The power went out around 6 p.m., and by the time help arrived, the house was already engulfed in flames. The lack of water made it impossible to fight the fire effectively,” said Tshabalala.
“This is not the first tragedy we’ve faced as a result of the ongoing water and electricity crisis in our municipality.”Maluti-a-Phofung municipal spokesperson Thabo Kessah said the municipality would wait for the outcome of the police investigation before commenting further.
