Pretoria News: Three-month-old baby dies in shack fire

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080409054540301C857002

Pretoria News 9/4/2008

Three-month-old baby dies in shack fire

Staring blankly at his hands, Mamelodi resident Matthew Skosana shakes his head, trying desperately to understand why he couldn’t save three-month-old Lebogang Mashido from burning to death in a shack fire.

The fire left Lebogang’s brother, Blessing, 2, and sister, Mmatsjie, 3, seriously injured in Pretoria Academic Hospital.

They are believed to have sustained second and third-degree burns.

The three were alone in their Phomolong shack while their mother, Mamsie Mashido, went to fetch water to wash the dishes. The tap is less than 50m away from the shack.

The shack was engulfed in flames within minutes of her leaving.

Their screams alerted neighbours, who bravely fought the flames with water and blankets, dashing into the blazing shack in a bid to rescue the children.

Skosana will remember the screams forever.

According to neighbours he ran into the house twice in an attempt to pull out the three children from their burning home.

When the flames became too much, he tried to kick down the shack wall separating him from Lebogang.

“He tried everything. He was so brave. When he heard the baby screaming, he tried to kick down the shack wall, but it was too hot. He blames himself.

“You can see he blames himself for not rescuing the little baby,” said Joyce Mabula.

Skosana, when approached for comment, would only say: “I can still hear their screams. I can still hear the baby crying.”

Lebogang’s father, Duncan Maila, was at work when his wife called him to tell him what had happened.

“I didn’t know what to think. I thought that all my babies were dead.

“I didn’t know what I was going to find,” he said while comforted by social workers.

He said he didn’t know how the fire had started.

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if it is from a fire or a stove.

“I don’t know what to do. I am so sad. My world has ended.

“We have nowhere to go. No food, no clothing, nothing. My baby is dead. My other children are dying. What am I meant to do?”

Maila said although the community was coming forward to help, it wouldn’t bring back Lebogang.

He is convinced that if they had proper houses with fresh running water the tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

“If the council gave us houses, this would not happen. It is dangerous here. Our children are dying, but the council does nothing.”

However, local councillor Fatima Kgashane said the residents were land invaders and were not entitled to live there.

“This land belongs to Transnet. We are negotiating to buy the land so that we can provide these people with proper housing and services,” she said.

Pretoria Academic Hospital spokesperson Fredah Kobo confirmed that Blessing and his sister Mmatsjie had been admitted.

“Both are in a very serious condition at this stage,” she said.

Police said an inquest docket had been opened into Lebogang’s death.

The mother was too distraught to speak to the Pretoria News.