The two victims.
The two victims.
Two siblings from Winterveldt near Tshwane were struck dead by lightning on Thursday afternoon.

44-year-old Master Baloyi, a popular DJ at Giyani Community Radio, and his brother, 39-year-old Thabo, were visiting their father to celebrate Master's birthday.

The brothers decided to walk home moments after the heavy rain stopped, but they did not reach their destination.

Winterveldt resident Nomsa Masuku, who lives near the scene, said she stumbled across the two bodies on the same day when she went to empty her bin in the veld nearby and ran back to her house to call for help.

"I am still traumatised by the state I found the bodies [in] and the deafening sound of that lightning. We have only ever heard about people being struck by lightning in the media, it has never happened this close to home," she said.

"I have never heard anything like it before. I decided to hide under my bed when I saw the... lightning strike. I feared for my life."

Another resident, Kabelo Letsoalo, who is a recycler, said when he saw the brothers' bodies he thanked God for sparing his life as he was hiding in his shack during the storm.

"My ears are still hurting from the sound of the lightning," he said.

The Odi Emergency Management Services station manager, Martin Shibambo, said the brothers "were certified dead at the scene".

Family members were too traumatised to talk to the media.