Tragedy Strikes Home: Aunt’s Tearful Recollection of the Fateful Day She Uncovered Her Three Nieces’ Fate in the Joburg Fire
In the wake of the devastating Joburg fire, a Gauteng woman has shared her heart-wrenching account of discovering her three nieces, Nokwanda Khanyile (27), Snikihwe Seme (22), and Bongi Nkomo (25), tragically burnt to death.
The fire engulfed a five-story building at the intersection of Albert and Delvers Streets in Johannesburg, known as the Usindiso shelter, on Thursday, August 31, claiming the lives of 77 individuals and leaving 52 others injured.
Aunt Recounts Identifying Three Nieces After Joburg Fire
Ntombifuthi Shange (33), still grappling with the raw emotions of her visit to the Diepkloof mortuary in Soweto on Friday morning, September 1, recounted the painful ordeal. Among her nieces, Nokwanda bore the brunt of the flames, her body hauntingly charred.
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Ntombifuthi described,
“I just knew it was her because of her body. She had her hands crossed over her chest and was holding a phone. I could not bear to see Bongiwe because the anguish was becoming too overwhelming. It was my family who stepped forward to identify her.”
As Ntombifuthi entered that solemn place, her mind was adrift, unable to fathom that her beloved nieces would meet such a tragic end. She had clung to hope that they would be found in a hospital, but that hope was cruelly shattered. She continued,
“When I arrived here, I prayed that there would be no confusion surrounding her body, and thankfully, there wasn’t. The pain is unbearable, but at least we can find some solace in having closure.”
Bodies Still To Be Identified
These three young souls, originally from KwaZulu-Natal, will be laid to rest in their homeland.
While the Gauteng government diligently works to identify the fire’s victims, the process of identification remains ongoing. Motalatale Modiba, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Health, stressed the importance of the current DNA method in preventing instances where families are mistakenly provided with the wrong bodies, emphasizing the need for thorough and accurate identification during this heart-rending time.
