Pretoria - Four more residents from the Pieter Wessels Old Age Home in Nigel have passed away, increasing the number deceased to 22.
The Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development said three of the deceased died on Monday evening, two at Pholosong Hospital and one at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
The fourth resident passed away this morning at Pholosong Hospital.
The deceased were among the residents at the home who were left homeless when a fire broke out there on Sunday night, injuring about 40 other senior citizens.
In assisting the victims to deal with the ordeal, the department has offered services including counseling to the survivors, their families and the families of the deceased.
The Department of Home Affairs and South African Social Security Agency are to assist the residents with identification of documents that were destroyed during the fire.
Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and her team have since placed the survivors of the fire at Zanele Mbeki Home as well as Nigel Old Age Home, the team from the department is also working with owners of the home.
The department has urged the public to offer assistance to the victims in terms of food and clothes, which are urgently needed.
The donations can be dropped off at Zanele Mbeki Home. Financial donations can be deposited to Absa Bank, account name: TC Adra, account number: 1001390755, branch code: 334143, reference: P Wessels FCC. Pastor Louis Gouws can also be contacted at (016) 342-0308 or 082 496 4944.
