FREE STATE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STEPS IN TO SUPPORT WELKOM FAMILY AFTER TRAGIC FIRE

By Thembile Nqabeni.

• In a show of compassion and swift action, the Free State Department of Social Development, led by MEC Mathabo Leeto, has reached out to support a Welkom family affected by a horrific fire that claimed a life and left a teenager critically injured.
• ⁠The blaze, reportedly started in an act of domestic violence, destroyed multiple flats and underscored the urgent need for trauma counselling and community solidarity.
• ⁠The intervention formed part of the Department’s broader Social Relief Programme and its community-based initiative, Molo Makhelwane, both designed to respond to social emergencies and disasters throughout the province.

Jolene, a resident of Vila Gino flats in Welkom, lost her home in the fire that broke out on 18 June 2025. At around 15:28 that afternoon, she received a call alerting her to the blaze. What she discovered was more devastating than she could have imagined.
According to initial reports, the fire was started deliberately in the flat below hers. It is alleged that the ex-wife of the tenant broke into the apartment, doused herself in petrol, and waited for the tenant’s 17-year-old daughter to return from school. She then poured petrol on the teenager and set them both alight.
The perpetrator died on the scene. The teenager was rushed to Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria and remains in critical condition with severe burns covering 65 percent of her body.
The fire spread rapidly, destroying two flats and damaging a neighbouring apartment’s kitchen. In response, MEC Leeto deployed the Department’s social relief team to assess the damage and provide immediate and long-term support.
Social workers and trauma counsellors have since been dispatched to work closely with Jolene and others affected. The Department is also coordinating psycho-social support and counselling services for the broader community.
Speaking at the scene, MEC Leeto emphasised that in times of tragedy, government must stand with the people. “We are here not only to provide physical relief, but to walk with families through the emotional and psychological pain. We will offer trauma counselling and guide them through the recovery process,” she said.
The Department has called on churches, NPOs, businesses, and the broader community to join in supporting the family and other victims of the fire. “It is in moments like these that we must all come together as a caring society,” Leeto added.
The fire has shocked the community, but the rapid intervention and compassionate response of the Free State Department of Social Development has brought hope and support to a family in crisis.