• Thandisizwe Nondlwana, 75, died alone in his home after a fire broke out and firefighters arrived too late to save him.

• Residents say they could not help as there was no water in the taps, and the municipality denies the water outage.

A 75-year-old man from Makhanda died in a house fire while his neighbours stood helpless, unable to assist because there was no water.

Thandisizwe Nondlwana died on Friday, 27 June, when a fire broke out in his home. His wife and two children were not home at the time.

Neighbours say they watched in horror as flames consumed the house, but there was no water in the taps to help put it out.

Nkosinathi Ngesie from Makhanda Concerned Residents said: “Nondlwana was trapped in a fire and died in those flames. Unfortunately, the neighbours could not assist because they had no water.”

One resident said the water only comes out of the taps for a few hours and is often gone before people get home from work.

Firefighters were called at about 10:40am. They managed to stop the blaze but found Nondlwana’s body inside. Police declared him dead and have opened an inquest.

Police spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy confirmed the events.

Makana Local Municipality spokesperson Anele Mjekula denied that there was no water in the area. He claimed water was available and said tankers were sent to places with supply problems. He blamed the shortages on pump failures and water leaks.

Pictured above: Religious leaders and community members paying their respects to the Nondlwana family earlier this week.

Image source: Facebook