Ms Lydia Dagumi of Lwamondo Mutandani outside Thohoyandou used to stay in a thatched mud house that leaked during rainy weather. Conditions were very bad and life was unbearable. To turn her life around, the "unemployed" mother had saved money and managed to build a two-room house that made life a lot easier. All that went up in smoke, however, when the house burnt to ashes last week.
Dagumi Makhadi (57) said she was attending her brother's funeral at Tshifulanani Mathule when she received a call from a member of the community, who informed her of the fire.
"I rushed back home to find the house on fire. We could not save anything in the house and damage estimated at more than R100 000 was caused by the fire. We were left with only the clothes we were wearing and with nowhere to stay. We are now at the mercy of my elder sister, who gave us temporary shelter," she said.
She said that it had taken her a long time to realize her dream of owning the two-room house, but everything had gone up in smoke in a short time. "I am not working and I will not be able to rebuild it. All I am asking for is for any Good Samaritan who can come to our aid. We are helpless and our dignity will be lost without a home for ourselves. Please help us," pleaded Dagumi.
She thanked the local Thulamela Ward 34 councillor, Mbulaheni Nndwakhulu, for responding swiftly and organising groceries and blankets for her after the incident.
Cllr Nndwakhulu said he was touched when he visited the family to find that they had lost everything in the fire. "I activated all the structures and also wrote a letter to disaster management at Thulamela, who responded by giving us blankets and food parcels. We have decided to start a fund from our own pockets to help rebuild the house. We are also going out to seek donations from businesses, and hopefully the family will be back in their house in a short while," he said.