Gqeberha police have opened an inquest docket following the deaths of a mother and her daughter who perished in a shack fire in Motherwell.
The tragic inicident took place in Nkonjane Street just after midnight on Sunday.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg says the mother, identified as 37-year-old Nosicelo Ndabayini, died while she tried to rescue her 15-year-old daughter from a burning shack.
Captain Janse van Rensburg says Ndabayini's two daughters were asleep in the shack at the back of the main house.
She says a candle was used inside the shack and just after midnight Ndabayini, who was not in the shack at the time, noticed that the structure was on fire.
"She ran inside and manage to rescue her 18-year-old daughter," Captain Janse van Rensburg said in a statement.
"However as she went back to rescue the 15-year-old daughter, Lelihle Ndabayini, the mother was engulfed by the fire and died in the blaze with her daughter."
At this stage it is suspected that the candle was the cause of the fire.
No foul play suspected and investigations are continuing.
