Raushan Visser sits in a corner and holds on to a framed picture of her dead daughter. She shakes her head in disbelief.
|||Cape Town - A Kensington, Cape Town, family is mourning the death of two girls who were killed in a fire at their home on Saturday.
Sunderland Primary pupils Keesha Visser, eight, and Renecia Visser, six, died in a fire at the Glider Crescent home.
Emergency Medical and Forensic Pathology Services (EMS) spokesperson Robert Daniels said: “Forensic Pathology Services were alerted to remove the remains of the two girls, aged six and eight, but details of the unfortunate incident are still unclear. Authorities are investigating.”
The family are in shock. When they spoke to Weekend Argus they were puzzled as to what caused the fire.
Relative Tasneema Adams, 23, said: “This is very hard, I can’t even eat.”
Adams said the fire had started in her room.
“I was sleeping when the fire started. Keesha and Renecia were in the other room sleeping with my aunt. There are two single beds in my room, when I woke up, the beds were burning and I called for help,” she said.
The girls’ grandmother Valencia Visser, 52, said: “I was sleeping when Renecia woke me up to show me that the other room was on fire. I quickly ran out to get water and by the time I returned to the room, it was too late. She had inhaled a lot of smoke and collapsed.”
Renecia’s mother, Raushan Visser, 22, sat in a corner in the lounge and held on to a framed picture of her dead daughter. She shook her head in disbelief.
She broke down as she looked at the pictures of her daughter.
Raushan said: “My cousin called to tell me that there was a fire in her room. We didn’t realise the children were in the room when we tried to stop the fire. We only realised when we saw that they were not in the front yard and it was too late by then.”
Grandfather Ronald Visser said the family would remember the girls for their vibrant personalities.
“They liked to sing in Sunday school; they were playful, active and loved to laugh. They always had a smile on their faces.”
sinolwazi.april@inl.co.za
Weekend Argus