A mother allegedly locked her two lively boys inside her two-roomed house and went away to enjoy the night. Her enjoyment ended in tragedy as her boys were burnt beyond recognition when their house caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The cruelty of the angry flames mercilessly consumed them as they screamed for help. However, they were not lucky enough to escape and their badly burnt bodies were found next to the door, implying that they tried to get away to save their lives.

This is the horrible story of brothers Rofhiwa (10) and Light (2) Makatu of Maniini – Magozani, near Thohoyandou, whose mother, Constance (30), is in deep mourning today. There is suspicion that the fire might have caused by a burning lamp, as the house does not have electricity.

One of the neighbours who discovered the fire, Donald Mmbi, told Mirror: "I was surprised when I woke up on Wednesday morning to see smoke coming out of the windows of Constance’s house. I went there to investigate and made the gruesome discovery. We then called the police, who arranged for the collection of the bodies. The boys were burnt beyond recognition but it was clear that they had died while fighting for their lives. They bodies were on the floor, next to the burntout door, and it was a shocking sight that one will never forget."

Mmbi said the mother soon appeared with the police and she immediately burst in tears. "She cried horribly and it was almost impossible to comfort her. We watched in disbelief as the remains of the boys were taken away by undertakers."

Family member Lawrence Makatu (60) said he received a call at about 06:00 on Wednesday morning. "I rushed to the scene and what I saw was horrible. The boys had died a painful death and it will take a long time for the family to forget. Anyway, we have to face the situation and see how we can continue with life because it is not the end of the world."

Maniini traditional leader Headman Ratshilumela Mmbi was also shocked by the incident. "How on earth can innocent lives be lost in this way? This is one of the most gruesome incidents ever to happen in my village. We will meet with different stakeholders in the village and make sure that incidents of this nature never happen in my village."

Supt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi of the Vhembe Police confirmed the incident: "We are investigating two cases of murder and one of arson although at the moment we do not suspect any foul play. We suspect that the fire might have been caused by a burning lamp in the early hours of Wednesday morning as the kids were sleeping alone."

He issued a strong warning to community members not to lock young kids inside the house alone.