“I fear I’ll die before burying them, and no one will be able to.”
A grieving Free State mother has accused provincial police of failing her after the tragic death of five family members in a truck fire five months ago.
Maria Selepe expressed deep frustration and grief over the handling of her case by police following the deaths of five family members in a tragic truck fire.
The incident occurred on August 26 when Tshokolo Mofokeng (35), his wife Anna Hlatshwayo (32), and their children Tumelo (11), Moleboheng (9), and Bokamoso (1 year and 9 months) were traveling from Harrismith. All five perished in the burning truck.
Speaking to MDNTV News, Selepe detailed her harrowing experience with law enforcement and how their actions—or lack thereof—have exacerbated her pain.
Selepe accused the police of negligence, citing their failure to properly account for all the bodies at the scene.
“I was taken to the scene after the incident, where four bodies were in body bags. Despite my insistence that there were five people in the truck, they ignored me,” she said.
“The police towed the truck to my family home instead of a police station, deeming it a crime scene and instructing the family not to touch it.”
“Only later did they discover that the body of one of the children was still in the truck, hidden under the father’s seat.”
Selepe recounted further distressing incidents, including the police asking her to retrieve uncollected remains from the accident scene and deliver them to a government mortuary.
“At the mortuary, a staff member was shocked that I, as a family member, was made to do this. He apologized and accepted the remains,” she said.
Despite the passing of five months, Selepe has yet to bury her loved ones.
She said while DNA results for the children had been finalized, the police claimed they were still struggling to match DNA for the parents due to the extent of the burns.
“I live on medication now,” she said tearfully. “I take pills to sleep, wake up, and get through the day. I’m worried that if I die before they’re buried, no one else will be able to bury them. My father is old and disabled. I just want to bury my family and find closure.”
Selepe also raised concerns about the policies intended to assist with the burial, fearing they may lapse if delays continue.
Free State police spokesperson Mmako Mophiring responded to the allegations, stating that the investigation is ongoing and that the process of identifying remains from ashes is complex and time-consuming.
Free State police spokesperson Mmako Mophiring said the police are investigating an inquest following the incident.
Mophiring said the police are also still investigating the cause of the fire and they were still waiting for the forensic team on the results of what might have started the fire.
He said the matter was going to take long to investigate as it was not easy to identify people who had been burnt beyond recognition.
“This is a matter of DNA and it’s not easy that you’ll pick up a DNA in terms of people that you are getting from ashes,” he said.
“It can’t just be a matter of three months or six months down the line, it depends on the scientific laboratories. You cannot bury a person where science has to take place, it’s gonna take a long time, there are scientific laboratories dealing with these matters.”
“I know they have pressure to bury but it’s not going to be easy. We are doing our level best as the police, the forensic department that is handling these issues so that at the end of the day each family will be satisfied that the remains belong to their loved ones.”
Mophiring added that if the forensics team has identified a few of the family members, it shows progress on the matter.
He dismissed claims of police negligence, attributing such allegations to the frustration families feel in the aftermath of tragic events.
While Selepe acknowledges the challenges of the forensic process, she pleads for the remains that have been identified to be released so her family can finally rest in peace.