Bellville woman who jumped out burning building dies in hospital

One of two women who jumped from a block of flats in Bellville to escape an inferno has died in hospital, the Western Cape health department confirmed on Tuesday.

The fire on Monday also claimed the life of 5-year-old Nabi Mutoke, who burnt to death in one of the flats.

Provincial health spokesperson Darren Francis said the woman died on Monday night after numerous medical interventions proved unsuccessful.

"We extend our condolences to her family during this time of bereavement," he said.

"The other female patient is in a stable condition and her baby was discharged after medical staff were happy with the medical observations carried out." 

Authorities previously said the women were rushed to nearby Tygerberg Hospital and their conditions were critical.

A video circulating on social media shows a woman on the pavement being dragged away. A short while later, another woman is seen leaping through the flames, landing on a mattress.

A man sweeping glass and dirt away from his café entrance said he had seen one of the women drop the baby down into the arms of a man on the scene."The woman was too scared to jump. She only jumped when the flames were on her," the man, who identified himself as Abdul, said.

Johnson Njoroge, who worked at a furniture store on the ground floor but had not been there at the time of the fire, said it was his wife Ann who had come up with the idea to haul out their new mattresses to act as padding.

"My team had tried to give them stuff to jump onto," he said. "One person had already jumped without anything on the pavement."

A resident told News24 on Monday how she and her family had struggled through thick, black smoke to get down the stairwell after hearing people screaming.

City of Cape Town fire and rescue services spokesperson Theo Layne said the cause of the fire was unclear.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said an inquest into the 5-year-old boy's death had been opened.

"Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation."