Fire claims life of ‘heroic’ gran

An 80-year-old grandmother has been hailed a hero after she died while trying to save her three great-grandchildren in a blaze that burnt their home to the ground.

Evelena Witbooi’s four-year-old great-grandchild Togheeda Hendricks is now undergoing plastic surgery on her face after the killer fire.

But it could have been a lot worse had Evelena not been so brave in her final hour.

Now relatives believe their family is plagued by fire and burning deaths after Evelena’s son Willem Witbooi died a month ago after being burnt with boiling water in Mitchell’s Plain.

Evelena’s grandson Paul was 19 months old when he died in a burning car 26 years ago.

Then on Monday morning, tragedy struck again, this time at the family’s Wendy house in Hillview, Seawinds.

Family members tell in horror how the grandmother and other relatives pushed the three kids through the windows in an attempt to save their lives.

Evelena’s granddaughter Jeanith Witbooi, 25, and her husband Moneeb Hendricks, 25, recall waking up at 3am surrounded by flames.

Their three children, one-year-old Isma-il Hendricks, Leeyawna Witbooi, 10, and four-year-old Togheeda were all fast asleep.

“When I woke up, the fire was already in the kitchen,” says Jeanith.

“My grandmother was awake and in her room.”

Jeanith says she immediately grabbed her baby.

“My grandmother was in front of me and by that time all the children were rescued and put out through the windows,” Jeanith explains.

“The smoke was so thick, I couldn’t breathe anymore and I had my baby on my arm... I tried to help ouma (grandmother).”

She says that was when she lost sight of Evelena.

Jeanith’s mother Jennifer Witbooi, 25, who lives next door, says her little granddaughter is also a hero.

“Togheeda’s face burnt and now they are doing a skin graft on the whole face at Red Cross Children’s Hospital,” she says.

“My mother-in-law Evelena tried to put the children through the window.

“Togheeda was rescued first but she ran back into the house and that was when her face burnt.”

The grieving relatives say the little child emerged from the burning Wendy house saying: “Ouma (grandmother) is dead.

Now Jennifer believes her family is cursed by fire.

“I keep having to recall this and maybe I am cursed but God knows best,” she says.

“My son Paul died when he burnt in a car and my ex-husband was thrown with boiling water and now my mother-in-law dies in the fire...”

Another resident Charmaine Fredericks, 49, who lives next door to the family, also lost all his belongings.

By late on Monday, the family were still unsure about how the blaze started.

* Anyone who can help the families are asked to call Charmaine Pretorious, Chairperson of Hillview Residents on 073 310 7536.

*This article was published in the Daily Voice