The sisters who left children locked up in a shack that caught fire while they partied at the tavern had their case postponed by the Atteridgeville magistrate’s court.
The sisters, Lindiwe Machaka, 39, and her thirty-seven-year-old sibling Zanele will return to court on September 5 for a bail application.
The sisters have been charged with five counts of culpable homicide after the children, aged between 17 months and seven, burnt to death.
This after the blaze destroyed several shacks at Itireleng informal settlement near Laudium, Pretoria early on Sunday morning.
It is alleged that the sisters had gone partying until the wee hours of Sunday morning when alarm was raised about the raging blaze.
The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) said Lindiwe is the grandmother to two of the children while Zanele is a mother to three of the kids who burnt beyond recognition.
NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said while the sisters were out enjoying themselves under the cover of darkness, the shack caught fire and the children perished in the blaze.
“During their brief appearance in court, the matter was remanded for a bail application,” said Mahanjana.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said at the time that the incident was reported at about 4.26am on Sunday.
“The remains of the five children were burnt beyond recognition and they were discovered in the ruins of the shacks after the fire was extinguished by fire fighters,” said Mabaso.
“We call on parents and caregivers to ensure that children are always left in the care of an adult and in a safe environment.”
Gauteng MEC for human settlements and infrastructure development Lebogang Maile visited the area on Monday.
During an inspection, Maile put the blame on illegal invasion (of private property).
“Informal settlements like this one need to be relocated because this area is not habitable. This is a big challenge for government,” Maile said.
In June, Sunday World reported that two kids who were left alone in a locked apartment at Florence Nightingale flats in Hillbrow, Johannesburg were burnt beyond recognition.
The blaze had started on the first floor of the building before quickly spreading to other floors of the building.
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