In what appears to have been a suicide, a well-known former principal set himself alight in his house on Tuesday evening.
The 68-year-old Mr Erick Tshikota died in his home in an area known as Newtown, Louis Trichardt. He lived alone.
From what could be established, he had locked himself inside the house before setting it alight. News of the incident spread quickly, and by that evening, people from across the neighbourhood had gathered at the scene.
Friends and family interviewed after the incident were puzzled as to why he would have taken his own life. Traumatised relatives cried uncontrollably when the sad news was broken to them.
Residents living nearby said they had heard a loud bang shortly after sunset. “We could establish the direction it came from and that was why we did not take long to locate this place,” said one of the residents.
A sister of the deceased, Ms Midana Tshikota, said the incident had caught them off guard. “It came as a shock to us, having to lose such an intelligent person like him. We are very sad,” she said.
A source close to the deceased said he had spoken to him on Tuesday morning, but he had not shown any signs of stress. “We are still in shock and we cannot even figure out what had happened and what might have caused the incident,” he said.
Mr Shaft Matumba, said they were saddened by the incident. “As community leaders, we want to encourage people to share their problems with those close to them or seek help from professionals to prevent such incidents,” he said.
Tshikota was described by many as a hard worker. “He was my pillar of strength, a man who was always ready to go the extra mile when it came to doing things for this community and family,” Matumba said.
The spokesperson for the SAPS in Vhembe, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, said the police were investigating the fire and Tshikota’s death. “The circumstances leading to the tragedy are still sketchy. We have opened an inquest docket,” Dathi said.
Anyone with information that may assist the police can contact the investigating officer, Sgt Fhumulani Godfrey Muneri.
