A young mother from Sharpeville in the Vaal is left heartbroken and shattered after her boyfriend allegedly set her rented shack alight, killing her two young children.
Hlonolofatso (5) and Bophelo Adams (21 months) perished in the blaze on Saturday night, 17 August, after their mother, Lerato Adams (24), left them in the care of her abusive boyfriend.
Lerato, who now faces the unbearable pain of losing her two precious children, described the horrific events that led to their deaths.
“I had an argument with my boyfriend, and he threatened to kill me,” Lerato said.
“I ran to my friend's place hoping when I got back at least he would have calmed down. Little did I know that the man had other plans. I was called by my neighbour who saw my boyfriend locking our shack while the fire had started. Screams from the kids in the shack were heard by the neighbours. They died very horribly, and I was not there to save them.”
Lerato explained that she had left her children with her boyfriend, hoping that the situation would calm down. However, her worst nightmare unfolded when her neighbour informed her that her boyfriend had set the shack ablaze while she was away.
“I have lost everything, and I feel like I’m naked by losing my only meaning of life, my kids,” she said.
Neighbours who witnessed the horrifying scene described the flames as intense, making it impossible to save the children. They also revealed that the boyfriend had threatened them with violence if they told Lerato what they had seen.
“We hope that police can arrest him before he comes back and kill us,” said one devastated neighbour.
Gauteng police spokeswoman Captain Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened and investigations are underway.
The boyfriend, who remains on the run, has been calling Lerato since the incident, begging for forgiveness and claiming that setting the shack on fire was a mistake. However, Lerato is left devastated and grappling with the loss of her children, who were her entire world.
