A woman died in a fire in Merriman Road, Green Point, on Wednesday April 4.
This was confirmed by City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Theo Layne.
According to a security officer, Thandikhaya Macekiswana, who was on duty on the day, he had been alerted to the fire by a domestic worker who works in the complex. On arrival, they noticed that the doors were locked, the smoke was quite heavy, and firefighters were immediately called.
“Firefighters ordered us to step aside and broke the windows to fight the blaze and one of them mumbled that if there was someone inside, they’d not make it out alive,” said Mr Macekiswana.
Authorities could not identify the body as it was burnt beyond recognition. However, security officers and domestic workers who work in the complex confirmed that the body was that of an elderly woman who lived alone.
“I know her because she’d ask me to help her with her garage and sometimes when her car gets stuck. She was a lovely church lady and greeted everyone,” said one of the officers.
Sea Point Police spokesperson, Captain Elizabeth Munro, said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
