The girl’s mother and her seven-year-old brother died in the shanty fire in Ritchie during the early hours of Friday morning.
THE FOUR-year-old girl who was rescued by neighbours from a burning shack in Pelindaba, Ritchie on Friday has died from the severe burn wounds she sustained during the incident.
Her mother, Hannalie van Wyk, and seven-year-old brother, Alexandra Fluks, lost their lives in the shanty fire in the early hours of Friday morning.
Four-year-old “Vroutjie” Fluks and her father, Saul Fluks, sustained severe burn wounds and were transported to Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley for medical treatment.
Local residents had tried frantically to put out the blaze but struggled as the water supply in the area had apparently been switched off on Thursday night.
Community member Klaas Sekgabo said that “Vroutjie” died on Saturday afternoon.
“Community members in Ritchie will stage a march on Monday morning, from 8am, regarding poor service delivery following the death of the three young family members. We cannot complacently accept their deaths because it could have been prevented,” Sekgabo said on Sunday.
He added that a petition would be handed over at the march.
“The march will proceed from the clinic to the police station and the municipality. We want the MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene, and Sol Plaatje executive mayor Patrick Mabilo to accept the petition.”
Sekgabo stated that the funeral arrangements might be changed following the third death in the family.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Dimakatso Sello said on Sunday that an additional inquest would be added to the docket.
“The father is still in hospital,” said Sello.
