- The Nazo family in Crossroads is seeking answers following the death of their son on Sunday 03 December.
- The 25-year-old Wandile Mlisa died in a shack fire while in his sleep at Cuba informal settlement.
- Bertha Nazo, Mlisa’s grandmother, said she will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to book.
The Nazo family in Crossroads is seeking answers following the death of their son on Sunday 03 December.
The 25-year-old Wandile Mlisa died in a shack fire while in his sleep at Cuba informal settlement.
The family believes his death was orchestrated by someone as none of the nearby shacks were affected by the fire.
Bertha Nazo, Mlisa’s grandmother, said she will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to book. She said she last saw her grandchild on Sunday morning when he left her house to sleep.
“Wandile was here in my house with his friends having fun. He left here at about 03:00 to sleep in his shack. Just after 05:00 I heard his friends knocking on my house telling me that Wandile’s shack had burned. I asked them where he was and they told me he was dead,” she said, holding back the tears.
READ | Hundreds left homeless in Khayelitsha, Cape Town after a shack fire ravaged the area
On their arrival at the scene, Nazo said his body was at the door as though he was trying to escape. She said what hurt her the most was how her grandchild died.
She questioned how the incident occurred. “Mawande’s shack was between other shacks. How can it be the only one that burned? The shacks there are so close to each other. There is no way that can be the only affected shack. They are so close to the extent that no one can go between them, but the others are not affected,” said Nazo. She described Wandile as a very active child who never had issues with anyone in the area.
Nazo added that he was passionate about sport. “He grew up here. He liked soccer. He was the coach of a local Mighty African FC. We are not crying alone. The community is also crying as well,” she said.
Nazo stated that the family is waiting for Mlisa’s father to conclude funeral arrangements. “The deceased’s father is a long-distance truck driver. We are waiting for him to come back, then we will have a way forward in terms of funeral arrangements,” said Nazo.
Provincial police spokesperson Capt Nowonga Sukwana confirmed the incident and cited that Nyanga officers have opened an inquest docket following a fire that happened in Cuba informal settlement. She said the cause of the shack fire is still under investigation.