Cape Town – The woman who died in a fire at a Midrand apartment complex on Tuesday night, was reportedly an avid boxer and deputy secretary of the SA National Open Boxing Association.
According to Times Live, Onalenna Tsae, 32, died just hours before she was due to leave for a boxing tournament in Limpopo.
Her body was found under a collapsed ceiling in her apartment at Broadwalk Urban Village, the report said.
Her sister, Matlhogonolo Tsae, discovered her remains after convincing Johannesburg emergency services to let her search the building.
“It shows this was someone who was running to get out. It is sad. We wanted her alive,” the report quoted Matlhogonolo as saying.
The fire broke out around 8:30pm, but the cause is still unknown.
A fire has broken out at the Urban Village residential complex, located near Boardwalk Street in Midrand. Emergency services are currently on the scene, responding to the incident.
No fatalities have been reported. The situation is being closely monitored, and further updates… pic.twitter.com/6mgKbLpIcy
— Lullo Matshaya (@freshbylullo) September 24, 2024
While police have opened an inquest, Matlhogonolo believes her sister died of smoke inhalation and questions whether the blaze started in Onalenna’s flat, as her body and appliances were not severely burned.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) confirmed the death of one person following the fire at Broadwalk Urban Village.
The blaze, which impacted over 130 apartments, prompted a response from EMS firefighters on Tuesday evening, according to EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.
Xolile Khumalo, another EMS representative, told News24 that the victim’s body was discovered beneath the debris of a collapsed ceiling.
Khumalo said that security at the complex indicated the fire likely originated from the area where the body was found, though the exact cause is still under investigation.
Inspectors are currently examining both the cause of the fire and the building’s compliance with safety regulations.
Tebogo Seloane, a neighbour of the victim, said he was the first to respond when the smoke alarm went off, attempting to break down the door to help.
There’s mounting concern about the whereabouts of the baby of a woman who died in the fire at an apartment complex in Midrand, north of Johannesburg. #Newzroom405‘s @Vee_Makhoali speaks to the neighbour of the deceased.
Watch: https://t.co/FCpruvAi6J pic.twitter.com/0OxFLP7u1r
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 25, 2024
“There was smoke in her room that came into my room. Security was knocking at my door, and I went outside,” Sloane said.
“We went out and we tried to break her door, but we couldn’t. Eventually, we were able to get a screw[driver] that we pushed in and then broke the door open,” he said.
At the time, Seloane said, they could not confirm if there was anyone in the unit because thick black smoke prevented them from entering.
“We didn’t go inside; the smoke and fumes were too much. The next thing, when I looked up, the ceiling was on fire. The fire took five minutes to start. I went and went door to door and got everybody out of the building.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
