A devastating fire destroyed a 10-room house in Khubvi village on Saturday evening, leaving a local pensioner and his family reeling from the loss. As villagers begin to mobilise support, questions remain about the cause of the blaze.
According to Mr Nthatheni Daswa, the homeowner and a long-time resident of Khubvi, the fire broke out while he was bathing. "I noticed smoke through the window and called my youngest daughter to check where it was coming from," he said.
She quickly reported that the fire had started in his bedroom. Daswa immediately jumped out of the bathtub and rushed to investigate. "But the fire had already engulfed the room and was spreading to the other rooms. I tried to put it out using a hosepipe, but it was too late," he explained.
He said he phoned the fire station immediately, but help arrived too late. "By then, everything had already been burnt down."
When asked about the value of the property lost, excluding the house itself, Daswa estimated the damage at around R700,000. "All the bedrooms had newly built-in furniture worth R150,000, and I had just bought a fridge worth R37,000," he said.
Despite the loss, Daswa expressed relief that the fire did not spread to the second house on the same stand. "We also managed to save the three cars because they were parked in the garage adjacent to the other house. I am in great pain as I am now a pensioner and don't know how I will be able to replace all the burnt property."
He said he did not know what had caused the fire and was awaiting the outcome of a police investigation.
At the time of our going to press, residents of Block A in Khubvi village were convening a meeting to discuss ways to assist the Daswa family, in line with local custom whenever disaster strikes.