CAPE TOWN - Western Cape police have opened an inquest following the death of a 69-year-old man in a house fire in Fisantekraal.
Some community members are convinced there was foul play and are determined to run the man's family out of town.
However, community leaders are calling for calm while police determine the facts of the matter.
Doreen Fortuin is adamant that her husband, the deceased's son, did not kill his father.
She admits there was a domestic dispute between them while they were drinking,
She says the argument that community members claim led to the house fire happened hours before the tragedy.
Fortuin says her husband would never intentionally harm his father, who was blind and wheelchair-bound.
This resident claims the deceased's son was seen in the vicinity before the fire, and again during the blaze.
He says the son and another community member tried to rescue the deceased, but it was too late.
Activists are pleading for calm, as some residents demand that Fortuin and her husband leave.
They say the couple is responsible for the elderly man's death.
Police are investigating the incident, and the deceased's son has been taken in for questioning.