Hawkers who sell fruit and vegetables at the Louis Trichardt taxi rank were left downhearted when their shacks burnt down last Wednesday night.
One of the hawkers whose shack had burnt down, Ms Norah Ndou, said that she had lost everything. She saw the smoke from a distance when approaching the market area early the next morning. "I thought somebody was just burning dustbins near the taxi rank, but was shocked when I arrived there to find out that the shacks had burnt down," she said.
She added that she did not understand the motive behind the fire. "Whoever burned down my shack has caused great damage to my family. I lost everything that belonged to me, from stock to my chairs and tables," she said. The damage is estimated at R80 000. She said that the hawkers were now facing difficult times. "We do not even have a decent place to put our things," she said.
Ndou appealed to people to assist them during this difficult time. "I don't know how I am going to rebuild my shack, because I don't have money," she said.
The spokesperson for the Makhado Hawkers' Association, Mr Michael Phathela, warned people not to jump to conclusions. "We need to be very cautious," said Phathela. "If it is a person who started this fire, then the police will find out. People are, however, using gas stoves and paraffin primus stoves to cook, which is not always safe," he said.
He appealed to the local municipality to allow the hawkers to use nearby electrical connections. He argued that this would help prevent fires. Makhado Municipality spokesperson Louis Bobodi conveyed the municipality's sympathy to the vendors and hawkers who were affected by the fire.
The spokesperson for the Makhado police, Const Irene Radzilani, confirmed the incident. "We have opened a case of arson and we are continuing with investigations," she said. "The cause of the fire is unknown," she added.