Family devastated after fatal shack fire

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Remnants of a devastating shack fire lay at the entrance to a home where an informal structure was engulfed in flames in Kwanokuthula on Sunday 19 July, claiming the life of Sinesethu Poni (28), a young man remembered by his family for his kindness and dreams of becoming an electrician.

Poni died when the shack he was staying in on Mzayifani Street caught fire during the early hours of Sunday morning, destroying the structure and all of its contents.

According to his cousin, Nomnikelo Mbem, Poni was raised by his aunt, Ntombiyethu Makinana, after his single mother was unable to support him financially. "My aunt practically raised him. She supported him emotionally and financially throughout his life," said Mbem.

Makinana also helped Poni secure employment on two occasions - first at a confectionery factory in Gqeberha, and later at Beacon Island, where they worked together. Although he also studied electrical engineering, financial difficulties forced him to leave college before completing his qualification. "He always wanted to go back and finish his studies one day," Mbem said.

At the time of the fire, Poni was alone in the shack while Makinana was spending the weekend at the family's home in Kwanokuthula Phase 3.

"We received a call that the shack had burned down and rushed to the scene," Mbem recalled. "When we arrived, everything had been destroyed. My aunt was crying over the furniture she had worked so hard to buy."

Initially, neighbours told the family Poni was with friends, but relatives later confirmed he had been inside the shack. "It felt like a bad dream," said Makinana. "Even today I still struggle to believe he is gone."

The family identified Poni at the forensic pathology facility after officials informed them his face was still recognisable despite severe burn injuries. His remains have since been transported to Gqeberha and will later be laid to rest in Middledrift in the Eastern Cape.

Southern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Chris Spies confirmed that police have opened an inquest docket. "Police responded to a structure fire where the body of a man was later retrieved from the debris. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation," he said.

Aspiring electrician Sinesethu Poni, who lost his life in a shack fire in Kwanokuthula on Sunday.