Kamogelo Seekoei

Kamogelo Seekoei

When Jolene Rossier left her two sons with her father on Saturday night little did she know that she would be burying them the next day.

The two boys and their grandfather were killed in a fire that ruined the three-bedroomed house in Newclare, west of Johannesburg, in the early hours of yesterday.

The mother had left the children, Shaqul, 5, and Shafiq, 2, with their grandfather Joel Mitchell, 58, on Saturday.

She went to her sister's place to prepare for a job interview.

The grandfather and the two boys were sleeping in the main bedroom when the house caught fire.

Family member Barney Brown said they suspected that the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

"There was a problem with the wiring and on Thursday the family had called in an electrician. We don't know for sure what started the fire but we have to call him and ask him what he did," said Brown.

The fire started at about 4am and neighbours alerted the fire brigade. Two bodies were found in the bedroom while the third was found in the lounge.

"It seems like Shafiq was trying to escape because his body was found in the lounge and the ceiling had caved in on him."

Brown said the boys were buried yesterday in accordance with Muslim rites, while their grandfather will be buried on Saturday.

The boys' mother was unable to talk to the media because she was in a state of extreme shock.