We couldn't drive out of deadly Lohatla fire, says acting commander of 121 battalion

The acting commander of 121 infantry battalion on Thursday described the horror and devastation soldiers faced when a veld fire spread to the Lohatla military base last week, killing six of them.

Maj ZN Zulu said he was in a meeting when he received an alert of a fire on the eastern side of the Northern Cape base from a fellow commander of another battalion.

The fire was coming fast,  spreading from the neighbouring mines.

Zulu and the other commander rushed to the scene to assist. 

“When I got there, it was burning but they were trying by all means to extinguish the fire. The fire was burning but it was burning outside the range of the base. It was burning on the eastern side.”

As they focused on extinguishing this fire, another blaze was coming from a different direction. It was this one that caused damage to equipment, vehicles and the soldiers' property.

“When we were driving [on the eastern side], we were driving at 40km/h and it was in front of us. I told the driver to stop and turn around because we won't make it if we continue,” Zulu told reporters. 

He was briefing them before the visit by defence minister Thandi Modise and her deputy Thabang Makwetla to the base. 

At the site, the devastation of the blaze was evident with burnt military vehicles, steel beds and tent frames, empty fire extinguishers and charred camping equipment all that remained at one of the camps.

A black blanket of soot-covered a large swathe of the veld. On the barren, dark landscape, there were dots of completely or partially burnt tents which housed the soldiers.

Among the ruins were scattered and charred magazines, cooking pots and eating utensils

The fire claimed the lives of six soldiers who have since been identified as staff-sergeant Abraham Desember Morajane, staff-sergeant Sipho Berrington Cele, corporal Sithembiso Wiseman Ndwalane, corporal Noxolo Faith Ngubane, lance-corporal Prince Michael Mthethwa and lance-corporal Londiwe Purity Zulu.

Three others suffered severe burns. 

The victims were part of a group of 1,300 soldiers who were at the combat training centre preparing for an annual army exercise, Vuk'uhlome, set to take place at the end of the year.

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