Four deaths in nine days leave Zuurbekom family traumatised [PICTURES & VIDEO]

The Cele family of Zuurbekom township on the West Rand experienced immense tragedy within a span of nine days. It all began on 29 August, when Maningi Cele, 38, and her two young children, Lwazi, 5, and Nhlamulo, 3, perished in a fire that engulfed their thatched hut. In a desperate attempt to save the children, Maningi's brother Sphelele, 35, entered the flames and carried each child out.

However, both young Cele siblings succumbed to their injuries at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital just a few hours apart. Their aunt Nomusa Cele, recalling the harrowing incident, expressed her grief, stating that the children were adorable, with one still in pre-school and the other in Grade R. Maningi endured six days of agony before succumbing to her burns on 4 September.

The devastating loss was not over yet; just three days later, on 7 September, Sphelele Cele was shot dead during a suspected hijacking in the family yard while preparing for the funeral of his sister and her children. Sphelele, a peace-loving man and a road construction company employee, left behind a girlfriend and two young children.

The family was left traumatised, financially strained, and desperate to move away from the painful memories. The community rallied to support the grieving family, but the funeral expenses left them in debt, paying R40,000 for the graves instead of the estimated R100,000. The community mourned the loss of four family members in a short span of time, with community member Patrick Gama expressing the collective trauma and the family's wish to return to their home in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal. Police investigations into the deaths and the shooting are ongoing, with no arrests made thus far.