More than 30 workers were left jobless when one of the best-known convectional bakeries in the Vhembe District, Laduma Bakery, was gutted by fire on Saturday night. The bakery, situated in Makonde village, has been supplying fresh bread and cakes to more than 300 villages in the district every day.
According to one of the bakery's employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the cause of the fire is not known yet. "We were waiting for the last car to check in from delivering bread at about 19:00, when we noticed a black cloud of smoke emanating from the baking section. Upon investigating, we found that the whole baking section was on fire. We ran for the fire extinguishers to try and put the fire out, but it was too late."
He said that, as they were running out, away from the fire, they were able to grab a box containing all the car keys, and they managed to move all the cars from the building in time.
According to our source, the bakery employed at least 35 workers (excluding part-time employees). "For so many workers to lose their jobs all at once - in a country where people are being retrenched every day because of the weak economy - is a disaster. We only pray for divine intervention, otherwise some of them will be facing very hard times ahead," he said.
One of the female workers, who arrived for duty the next morning, only to find the devastation that was left, said she did not know how she was going to raise her children now. "Oh, Jesus, I am finished," she said, before picking up her lunch box and heading home.
At the time of our going to press, efforts to contact the confectionery bakery's manager, Mr Edward Mulovhedzi, had not been successful. Meanwhile, the Vhembe Police's acting communications officer, Sgt Vuledzani Dathi, said that the police had opened a docket. "Our investigations are continuing," he said.