Six families left homeless after devastating fire

Six families of Ha-Manyuwa were left homeless when a fire burnt their huts to the ground on Monday.

Earlier this week, community members were still in shock and the full extent of the damage still had to be calculated. The remains of the huts stood as a scary warning of the damage that fires can inflict on defenceless residents. Even the possessions inside the huts were destroyed, with provisional estimates of the damage set at about R800 000. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

One of the victims, Mr Lawrence Muofhe, said that the fire started a day before in the veld at the local mountain. He said that the fire got out of hand the following day (Monday), and residents were unable to control it amid the strong winds that afternoon. The fire then spread to the houses of the families.

Muofhe’s four-room house was one of the buildings that was gutted by the fire. He desperately tried to salvage some of his furniture but was unable to do so. The fire left them homeless, without food or blankets.

Another resident, Vho-Tshavhungwa Budeli, said she had never experienced such a situation. She had to watch helplessly as her hut was caught in the blaze. She was left with only the clothes she was dressed in.

Cllr Livhuwani Maduze from the Thulamela Municipality visited the six families to assess the damage and to see how they could help them recover. The councillor said the situation should be addressed and the families should be comforted and not feel that they were lost. “We had seen that most of their valuable possessions were lost in the incident,” he said.

Cllr Maduze promised the families that they would strive to seek help from various stakeholders. This would allow the six families to have a place to stay for the interim period. Maduze described the incident as brutal and painful to the families.

A plea was made to community members and the business sector to assist the family with food, clothes, school uniforms and books.

“The families want to repair the houses, but it seems as if it will be difficult,” said a community member, Mr Solly Muthathedzwa. He said that it was sad that the families had to lose all their prized possessions in these trying economic times. “It will be very hard for them, as they had accumulated their things over many years. It will be difficult for them to buy the goods again. They will need community support.”

Anyone who wants to help can call Cllr Maduze at 0723183320.

Date:05 October 2019

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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