The landmark Supa Quick Tyre Centre in Shayandima (Thohoyandou) was almost completed gutted by fire last Thursday morning, but through the owners' resilience, the tyre centre was back in business on Monday morning, albeit from a different premises.
According to the 67-year-old Mr Piet Visagie, who co-owns the centre with Mr Theuns du Toit of TJ Supa Quick, the fire started during the early hours of 20 October. A security guard on duty heard the alarm go off just after 03:00. He went to investigate but could see nothing wrong. The security company re-activated the alarm, but three minutes later, the alarm went off again. This time the security guard noticed smoke billowing from the administration office. He immediately phone the security company and then Visagie.
"I got the call around 03:30 and asked one of my staff members to go and unlock the building. I then phoned the fire brigade. They arrived there with a Cruiser with 200 litres of water. When they saw the fire, they said that they did not have enough water en left without saying anything more," said Visagie.
At first, Visagie was very upset that the fire brigade had left. Little did he know that they had actually gone back to mobilise more support. "Twenty-five minutes later, the first of several fire trucks pulled in," said Visagie. The fire trucks were mobilised from fire stations across the district, including the Vhembe, Vuwani, Malamulele, Collins Chabane and even the Mutale fire station." So much support arrived that Visagie could tell the Levubu farmers, whom he had mobilised after the first firefighters had left the scene, to stand down.
"If there is one thing I can say about these guys [the firefighters], is that they know what they are doing. Within two hours, they managed to extinguish the fire, restricting it to the front of the building and saving my tyre warehouse," said Visagie. Visagie added that they had also managed to get the gas bottles inside the premises out before they could explode.
As to the cause of the fire, Visagie said that they suspected that the continuous load shedding might have contributed. "The clever people told me that every time they switch off the electricity and switch it on again, there is an electricity spike. Over time, these spikes can damage electrical wiring," said Visagie.
At the time of our going to press, Visagie was still waiting for a final assessment of the damage caused in monetary terms. "I can tell you this - it is going to be a lot of money," said Visagie. He was grateful that he had insurance, stating that he had on numerus occasions asked himself whether paying such high monthly insurance premiums was worth the money. "I was one of those guys who always said it could never happen to me," said Visagie.
Visagie was very grateful towards all who responded to the fire and offered assistance, including the Levubu farmers, members of the Soutpansberg Rural Safety group and the local police and forensic unit, who were on the scene at 06:00 that morning to take statements and photos and start their investigation. He also thanked Mr Pieter Lordan for helping him to relocate to new premises.
"Lastly, to every member of TJ Supa Quick, thank you for your efforts in our relocation and words of support. Our team came together in a time of destruction and chaos and made the best of a bad situation … The good Lord was actually very good to us under the circumstances," said Visagie. This is especially true for the 35 staff members in Visagie's employ, who will still be able to take home a pay cheque it the end of the month, despite the tragedy.