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13 June 2025
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Mother and child die in Mayfair West fire as water crisis turns deadly, Johannesburg
Two lives were lost in the early hours of Monday morning when a fire tore through a home in Mayfair West. Before emergency services arrived, neighbours who tried to help found their taps dry, a recurring reality in Johannesburg’s western suburbs. In the early hours of Monday morning, 9 June 2025, a fire broke out in a five-bedroom house in Mayfair West, Johannesburg, claiming the lives of a mother and her daughter. City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (CoJEMS) said a structural fire call had been received at 02h49am, and fire appliances arrived on the scene at 03h05am.
Residents in the area have raised concerns about the response time of emergency services, saying help arrived too late. Before firefighters arrived, neighbours rallied to try to contain the blaze, but as is often the case in Johannesburg West in the early hours of the morning, due to throttling, no water came from the taps. “The water was off this morning when the house burnt, and the neighbours couldn’t even put their hosepipes on. They had to take five litres of water from their house to help until the fire brigade came,” said a Mayfair resident, who chose to remain anonymous. “It’s so sad with this water situation – it goes off every night.”
Johannesburg EMS confirmed that four other people were rushed to a nearby medical facility to be treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns. Residents said the injured included two children, aged four and eight, who were on ventilators at the ICU at Milpark Hospital. Their father had burn injuries.
The pair has been identified as Raeesah Bulbulia Moesa and her daughter Ayesha Suliman. A funeral service was held at Westpark Cemetery on Monday night.
Preliminary information suggests the fire started in the lounge area.
Mayfair, like many suburbs in Johannesburg West, often experiences water outages between 2am and 4am due to Johannesburg Water’s practice of “throttling” – reducing water pressure overnight to manage limited reservoir levels.
Dr Ferrial Adam, executive director of civil society organisation WaterCAN, said, “The tragic fire in Mayfair West, which took two lives and left others injured, is yet another devastating reminder of the risks communities face when basic services fail. The lack of water at the time – due to night-time throttling – meant that residents had no way to respond effectively,” said Adam. “This should never happen.”
High-lying areas such as Mayfair and Coronationville are especially affected, as pumping water uphill renders them vulnerable to low or no water supply during periods of high demand or system constraints.
Adam said that the city had to find an alternative to throttling, noting that “experienced engineers tell us that this is harmful to the already fragile system.”
Nana Radebe-Kgiba, spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), confirmed that there had been no water available in the area when the fire occurred. However, she explained that in every incident where there was no water, such as in informal settlements, EMS sent both a water tanker and a fire engine to avoid relying on the limited local water supply.
She said the water tanker was used as a refiller for the fire engine. “We sent a water tanker with water and a fire engine – so even if there’s no water around the area, we don’t depend on the water; this is also how we respond to informal settlements,” Radebe-Kgiba said.
“When we arrived on scene, the first response was a water tanker and they immediately had to assist with a search and rescue.”
City EMS has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
The incident comes as the City of Johannesburg enters winter, a season historically associated with a spike in fire-related emergencies. In a media release issued on Monday, the city highlighted the dangers of extreme cold, fire hazards and the need for improved heating practices and disaster preparedness.
According to the city, Johannesburg has about 350 informal settlements, along with numerous high-rise and backyard dwellings, many of which face increased risks from unsafe heating practices, overloaded electrical systems and poor access to emergency services.
Adam said that WaterCAN has observed risks of the same potential disasters such as those in Mayfair, in many parts of Johannesburg, like Claremont, where people have lived with intermittent water supply for more than a decade.
In a statement issued on Monday, EMS urged residents to remain vigilant during winter, when fire-related incidents tended to increase.
“We cannot ignore the cumulative impact of poor service delivery – it’s putting lives at risk,” said Adam. “The city burns while politicians fiddle.”
Source: Daily Maverick
Residents in the area have raised concerns about the response time of emergency services, saying help arrived too late. Before firefighters arrived, neighbours rallied to try to contain the blaze, but as is often the case in Johannesburg West in the early hours of the morning, due to throttling, no water came from the taps. “The water was off this morning when the house burnt, and the neighbours couldn’t even put their hosepipes on. They had to take five litres of water from their house to help until the fire brigade came,” said a Mayfair resident, who chose to remain anonymous. “It’s so sad with this water situation – it goes off every night.”
Johannesburg EMS confirmed that four other people were rushed to a nearby medical facility to be treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns. Residents said the injured included two children, aged four and eight, who were on ventilators at the ICU at Milpark Hospital. Their father had burn injuries.
The pair has been identified as Raeesah Bulbulia Moesa and her daughter Ayesha Suliman. A funeral service was held at Westpark Cemetery on Monday night.
Preliminary information suggests the fire started in the lounge area.
Mayfair, like many suburbs in Johannesburg West, often experiences water outages between 2am and 4am due to Johannesburg Water’s practice of “throttling” – reducing water pressure overnight to manage limited reservoir levels.
Dr Ferrial Adam, executive director of civil society organisation WaterCAN, said, “The tragic fire in Mayfair West, which took two lives and left others injured, is yet another devastating reminder of the risks communities face when basic services fail. The lack of water at the time – due to night-time throttling – meant that residents had no way to respond effectively,” said Adam. “This should never happen.”
High-lying areas such as Mayfair and Coronationville are especially affected, as pumping water uphill renders them vulnerable to low or no water supply during periods of high demand or system constraints.
Adam said that the city had to find an alternative to throttling, noting that “experienced engineers tell us that this is harmful to the already fragile system.”
Nana Radebe-Kgiba, spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), confirmed that there had been no water available in the area when the fire occurred. However, she explained that in every incident where there was no water, such as in informal settlements, EMS sent both a water tanker and a fire engine to avoid relying on the limited local water supply.
She said the water tanker was used as a refiller for the fire engine. “We sent a water tanker with water and a fire engine – so even if there’s no water around the area, we don’t depend on the water; this is also how we respond to informal settlements,” Radebe-Kgiba said.
“When we arrived on scene, the first response was a water tanker and they immediately had to assist with a search and rescue.”
City EMS has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
The incident comes as the City of Johannesburg enters winter, a season historically associated with a spike in fire-related emergencies. In a media release issued on Monday, the city highlighted the dangers of extreme cold, fire hazards and the need for improved heating practices and disaster preparedness.
According to the city, Johannesburg has about 350 informal settlements, along with numerous high-rise and backyard dwellings, many of which face increased risks from unsafe heating practices, overloaded electrical systems and poor access to emergency services.
Adam said that WaterCAN has observed risks of the same potential disasters such as those in Mayfair, in many parts of Johannesburg, like Claremont, where people have lived with intermittent water supply for more than a decade.
In a statement issued on Monday, EMS urged residents to remain vigilant during winter, when fire-related incidents tended to increase.
“We cannot ignore the cumulative impact of poor service delivery – it’s putting lives at risk,” said Adam. “The city burns while politicians fiddle.”
Source: Daily Maverick