Shack fire claims siblings at One Nation in Windhoek

A Shack fire claimed the lives of a girl (4) and her brother (6) at One Nation informal settlement in Windhoek on Saturday.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi says the fire broke out at 21h00 after the mother left the two children at home with their elder brother when she went to work.

“Allegedly the shack was engulfed by fire. It’s alleged that the mother left the two children at home with their elder brother when she went to work at around 16h00,” she says.

She says the incident happened while the elder brother was at a neighbour’s house.

The cause of fire is not yet known, and investigations continue.

Meanwhile, Khomas governor Sam Nujoma (jr) says the government should speed up service delivery to prevent more fires.

“I am appealing to community members, good Samaritans, the business community and all the relevant officials to speed up the process of service delivery so we can prevent things like this,” he says.

Tobias Hainyeko councillor Christopher Likuwa says: “What happened here is that the was fire caused by the children. The mother went to the work, and the three children in the house, the elder one left them and locked them in the shack.”

Likuwa has urged residents not to leave children unattended.

“Let us be aware when you leave the house that no one can play with fire or matches – especially as we are cooking with gas”