Katlehong – A palpable feeling of sadness casts a shadow over the Katlehong North informal settlement on the East Rand.
Scattered burnt corrugated metal sheets and plastic mark the place where traumatised neighbours watched from a distance as the charred body of a man was recovered by Forensic Pathology Services.
The charred body was found by residents under the burnt corrugated sheets in Katlehong North informal settlement.
Earlier this morning, Wednesday 20 August 2025, the Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) firefighters from Thokoza fire station responded to calls for help from the informal settlement, where a make-shift home was on fire.
Firefighters swiftly responded to the scene at exactly 10:15 this morning with the Water Tanker fire engine.
On arrival, the firefighters found the fire had been extinguished and the makeshift house dismantled by residents.
DEMS said the deceased had been identified. He was 35.
However, his identity was being withheld, for now.
DEMS said there were indications that the fire happened during the night, and emergency services were only notified this morning.
Police are investigating the matter that was allegedly a result of mob justice.
