Flowers were laid on the deck of a popular Gqeberha coffee shop on Tuesday as grief-stricken patrons returned to the scene of a freak accident in which the owner was killed when a generator caught fire.
The shock incident at Indulge Coffee Shop on Monday afternoon claimed the life of 62-year-old Jo-Ann Pieters.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said Pieters had sustained severe burns when the generator reportedly exploded at the coffee shop in Marine Drive, Summerstrand, at 12.45pm on Monday.
“She was transported to a private hospital by ambulance,” Janse van Rensburg said.
“Upon arrival at the hospital at 12.57pm, she was admitted to the trauma unit but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries shortly thereafter.”
Pieters’ husband, Dawie, said on Tuesday that after last week’s rains, the electricity supply to the coffee shop had short-circuited.
They had rented a generator on Thursday to keep the fridges and freezers cold and the coffee shop running.
“The municipality arrived on Sunday to try to sort [the electricity] out, but on Monday it had not yet come back on,” he said.
“I was in Cape Town yesterday [on Monday], so I was not there when it happened.”
He said it was understood that his wife had been topping the generator up, without switching it off, when some of the fuel must have spilled and caught fire.
“It was a tragic thing that happened,” the grieving husband said.
“I feel very guilty because I should have told her to switch it off first before refuelling.
“But hindsight is always clearer.”
Pieters said his wife had shown so much love and compassion towards everyone she encountered.
His sentiments were reflected in the flood of messages shared on social media.
“I remember a customer was cold one day, and Jo-Ann put a blanket over her to make sure she was warm,” Dawie said.
He said his first wife had died in 2000, and he and Pieters married in 2002.
“She has two daughters from her previous marriage, my stepdaughters, and they are devastated and traumatised.
“We adopted a son together, Jonathan, and he is turning 17 this month.
“Today has been tough, it’s obviously not easy.
“Everybody loved her.
“This is so hard.”
Coffee shop manager Christine Nechironga was at the premises on Tuesday morning when a Herald team arrived at the scene.
The walls where the generator once stood were blackened.
“I am very, very sad. This is so painful. We are all in shock,” Nechironga said.
Nechironga’s husband, Gibson, was also at the establishment, helping his wife.
He said Pieters had been like a mother to him.
“I have been working for her since 2012,” he said.
“I first worked with her at the Heugh Road Engen garage as a petrol attendant and I was eventually promoted to manager of that garage.
“She was a mother to all of us who worked for her.
“She has been there for me, my wife, and even my daughter, all these years.
“I was laughing here with her just yesterday [Monday] morning.
“I still can’t believe it.”
He said when Pieters started the coffee shop, his wife was made manager.
“She [Jo-Ann] often took us to her church at Harvest, and she loved to teach us about the Bible.
“When I started struggling with anxiety, she took me to her doctor.
“The memories are all I can think of now.
“I lost a mother.”
Long-time friends of the Pieters couple, Barry and Ingrid Hechter, also arrived at the coffee shop to drop off flowers.
“We first met Jo-Ann in Jeffreys Bay many years ago when she had a coffee shop there,” Barry said.
“When she opened this coffee shop six years ago we became regular customers.”
He described Pieters as a passionate, friendly and loving person.
Ingrid said Pieters had made coasters for the restaurant with handwritten Bible verses on them.
“She used to greet us with a kiss every time, and when we left she always made sure to come and say goodbye.
“She was very special.”
Many customers wrote tributes to Pieters on social media, remembering her as an incredible person who got to know the people who visited.
One social media user wrote: “Jo-Ann, you are much loved and will be remembered in the community of Summerstrand and beyond.
“I will always remember your lovely handwritten messages on each coaster that would be on each table when we would get our coffee.
“You will be truly missed.
“May God be with you and your family and friends left behind.”
On The Herald Facebook page, Sally Koch commented: “By the sea, there was a little place filled with warmth, laughter and grace — and at the heart of it was Jo-Ann.
“My wire haired terrier Rupert adored her.
“Every walk along the beachfront came with one certainty — he would stop and refuse to move until he’d visited Indulge [for] his treats and special moments with aunty Jo-Ann.
“Jo-Ann had a rare gift — she didn’t just serve coffee, she created a space of belonging, where our dogs were known, loved and welcomed.“
Warren Heunis said he had worked at Indulge as a barista and could say with confidence that Pieters “knew the Lord”.
Kim Griffin Robertson said her heart was broken.
“Our beloved Jo-Ann, the landscape of the beachfront has forever been dimmed and changed without your beautiful, wonderful sunny warmth that you served up daily.”
Janse van Rensburg said an inquest docket had been opened for investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
“No foul play is suspected at this stage,” she said.
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