A year after devastating fires ripped through parts of the Kouga and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities, the Van der Riet family says they have not received any official report about the fire that killed their parents.
Walter and Myrna Van der Riet were killed in the fire at their small holding in the Thornhill area 50 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth. This weekend marks the first anniversary of the deaths and the family says they have not received a fire report or assistance from their local municipality. One year ago a marching inferno engulfed the N2 towards Port Elizabeth, gale force winds fanned the flames. Eighteen separate runaway fires were reported in the farming communities of Thornhill, Kouga and Sedgefield. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated.
But fire-fighters were unable to reach an elderly couple who were trapped.
The Van der Riets perished alone on their small holding. The couple’s son found them.
“I found my father lying up against the steel tank, he was in a bad way, burnt. My mother had already passed away. My father was so badly burnt trying to open the stop cork and cool his body down,” says Garth Van Der Riet.
He says no assistance has been offered since the incident and no one is taking responsibility. The Kouga municipality says an investigation into the fire report was done.
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