With nowhere to go, man (58) still lives in house gutted by fire
The house burnt in August 2017, and the fire destroyed all the furniture. It left the home in poor condition, with all the windows broken, the floors and roof damaged, and the walls cracked.
Tsakani – Simon Dhlamini (58) has lived in a burnt house for almost seven years. He is unemployed and survives on the R350 stress relief grant and piece jobs.
The house burnt in August 2017, and the fire destroyed all the furniture. It left the home in poor condition, with all the windows broken, the floors and roof damaged, and the walls cracked.
“I was in Whiteville when the incident occurred. I still don’t know all the details, but according to what I was told, there was a power outage, and a candle was left burning,” said Dhlamini’s sister, Anna Makubela (60), who also lived in the house at the time.
“Firefighters came to extinguish the fire, but when they left, the strong August wind reignited the fire, and that’s when it worsened, causing even more damage.”
Makubela moved from the house to permanently live in Whiteville, but Simon stayed behind because he had nowhere else to go.
“I could not live in that house anymore. Its condition was too severe and, unfortunately, I had to leave my brother behind,” Makubela said.
Dhlamini’s neighbour, Snowy Ruthoane, who lives a few houses from him, tried to get Dhlamini some help by contacting local radio stations. Ruthoane said since the fire, Dhlamini has been a scarce man.
“It is difficult to get a hold of him because he is mostly away doing piece jobs during the day, and during the night when it’s cold, he doesn’t sleep at the house. I think he sleeps at his friend’s house to escape the unbearable cold nights,” Ruthoane said.
“The house has cracks, and it could fall apart at any moment, and Simon could get hurt. No one deserves to live in these conditions.”
Ruthoane and Makubela have appealed to the community for assistance.
“We want Simon to live in a decent house. If you have building material, any furniture or food, anything that can help will be appreciated,” Makubela pleaded.
“Even if the government can help us by giving my brother an RDP house.”
Call Ruthoane on 082 623 7925 or 068 572 8094.
