adminMunyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
IN a heart wrenching incident, a two-year-old toddler died while her twin sister is battling for life at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare when their house was gutted by fire following an electrical fault which developed from a nearby electricity line.
The horrific incident occurred in Redcliff last week when Mutsawashe Chekayi died while her twin sister Makanaka is nursing injuries sustained in the inferno after she sustained 40 percent burns when their house was razed down by fire following an electrical fault. The incident happened when their mother Kudakwashe Chekayi, a police officer was on night duty.
However, Ms Chekayi’s other two twin brothers Tadiwa and Tatenda escaped unhurt but all the furniture and other valuables in the house worth thousands of dollars were reduced to ashes.
Ms Chekayi confirmed the incident but could not shed more light as she was still failing to come to grips with the terrifying incident and was also still nursing her other child Makanaka at Parirenyatwa.
“It is true that my daughter died in an inferno after a fire broke out following an electrical fault. I was not at home when it happened so I might not be able to tell you the matter in detail. However, I am deeply saddened by the matter but I have to accept what has happened because God saw it fit,” she said.
A tenant at the house, Mr Ophias Sibangani said the fire broke out at around 8pm when the maid, Sophia Sigodo was preparing supper in the kitchen while Makanaka and Mutsawashe were sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms.
Mr Sibangani said Ms Chekayi’s younger sister Nyasha was watching television in the lounge with Tadiwa and Tatenda when they heard the two children crying.
“Nyasha rushed to the kitchen to alert Sophia and went next door to seek assistance. Sophia immediately rushed to the spare bedroom but the entire house was now engulfed in fire. She managed to take Makanaka and Mutsawashe outside the house but they had already sustained serious burns,” he said.
Mr Sibangani said the neighbours called an ambulance which arrived after about 10 minutes and rushed Makanaka and Mutsawashe to Kwekwe District Hospital where they were transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as their conditions were critical.
“When the fire tender arrived, the house had already been reduced to a shell as all windows and the roof had been destroyed and there was nothing they could do,” he said.
Redcliff Mayor Councillor Freddy Kapuya said one of the children, Mustawashe, died on her way to Parirenyatwa and was buried in Gweru on Tuesday last week.
“It is suspected that the fire broke out as a result of an electrical fault. The fire also came from a nearby electricity pole and started from the ceiling,” he said.
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