By Desire Tshuma
ZHOMBE — An 82-year-old man was burnt to death last night after a fire tore through his one-roomed house in Zhombe under Chief Ntabeni, near Zhombe Mission in Midlands Province.
The deceased has been identified as Morrison Sipho Ncube. He was living alone at the time of the incident.
According to his son, Mthokozisi Ncube, he last saw his father yesterday morning before leaving for work. When he returned home around 11 pm, he noticed flames coming from his father’s room, which is only a few metres from his own house.
“When I went to check what the fire was about, that’s when I noticed that my father had been burnt inside the house,” Mthokozisi said. He immediately called neighbours to help put out the fire, but it was already too late. The wooden door had burnt down and collapsed, making it impossible to reach Morrison in time.
By the time of going to print, the body had not yet been collected and residents were still gathered at the scene waiting for police to transport it to the mortuary.
The cause of the fire remains unknown and is pending police investigations. Attempts to reach the Midlands Police Spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful, as the mobile number was not available at the time of going to print.
Police are expected to launch an investigation to determine what led to the blaze.