A 23-year-old Rhodes University student who suffered severe burns when he was trapped in his burning flat last week has died in a Port Elizabeth hospital.
A 23-year-old Rhodes University student who suffered severe burns when he was trapped in his burning flat last week has died in a Port Elizabeth hospital.
Third-year B Comm student Alvin Ziyambe has been receiving treatment at St George's Hospital's Intensive Care Unit for the past six days, but succumbed to his injuries this morning, Monday 11 November.
Dean of Students at Rhodes University, Dr Vivian de Klerk, announced Ziyambe's death this morning in a statement.
"Alvin was registered for his 3rd year in a BComm degree. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends," De Klerk said.
Hi-Tec Security came to the rescue as students battled to free Ziyambe when he was trapped in his burning flat on Tuesday 5 November. He lived in CBD residential complex The Greens complex, off New Street.
Ziyambe sustained severe burns to his upper body and was transferred to St George's Hospital in Port Elizabeth for specialised treatment.
Meanwhile, concerned students had organised a student fund to help pay for Ziyambe's medical expenses.
A statement about Ziyambe on the Rhodes Confessions site reads: "His condition requires serious medical attention and monitoring. His kidneys got damaged as a result of the accident and are not functioning at the moment, hence they have put him on a dialysis machine which will serve the purpose of his kidneys while he tries to recover. This however, is costing a lot of money and without this machine he could probably not make it.
"The money required by the hospital to keep him on it is too expensive and it will be a mammoth task to raise given his condition and time constraint. The hospital needs R50 000 deposit and when that runs out, they will require R11 000 each day that he is on the machine," the site post reported.
It is now his memorial service that the University will be arranging, however. De Klerk said details of this would be announced later today.
Ziyambe was a final-year student studying Information Systems and Economics, towards a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce.
A memorial service for the late Alvin Andile Ziyambi will be held at the Rhodes Chapel at 5.15pm on Wednesday 13 November.
