Brotherhood Club to rebuild burnt down home of late firefighter
The house burnt down on December 13, 2019, and was completely demolished by the fire.
Over 100 firefighters from various local, district, metropolitan and private services, as well as retired firefighters and civilians recently formed the #Brotherhood Club and joined hands to rebuild the Daveyton home of a deceased firefighter, Samuel Mthombo Sambo.
Sambo died in a car accient on his way home from work 15 years ago.
The family has been homeless since the fire demolished the house on December 13.
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The house was occupied by Sylvia Nkabinde, the wife of the late Sambo, her 17-year-old son and his grandmother at the time of the fire.
Sylvia took to social media to seek assistance and the response was positive from her husband’s former colleagues.
“I am so excited, I cannot even express myself.
I have been trying to rebuild our home, but I realised that I cannot do it alone,” Sylvia said.
“My husband’s friends formed a group to raise funds and help me.
It is a bit emotional because my son was only two years old when his father died.
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“Now he was able to meet his father’s friends and former colleagues, which is very exciting for him.”
One of the Brotherhood Club members, Robert Mulaudzi, said Sambo’s former colleagues responded to the fire incident however little could be saved.
“His family have been homeless for the past six months.
“Recently, while we were experiencing the cold front in most parts of the country the firefighters remembered that the family of one of their own is homeless during this cold weather.
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“An initiative #Brotherhood Club was born to resuscitate the legacy of a once popular, dedicated, disciplined and selfless firefighter, Samuel Sambo, who dedicated his entire life to save the lives of others, by rebuilding his house.”
The Brotherhood Club has already managed to raise more than R60 000 towards the project.
“We are here today to announce officially that we are starting the rebuilding of Sambo’s house,” said Mandla Jimmy Nyalungu, chairperson of the firefighters’ Brotherhood Club.
“We have a bank account where people can contribute any amount they want to and we also have a group chat which firefighters from across the globe have joined to help the family in their time of need,” he added.
Mandla Nyalunga said that the spirit of ‘ubuntu’ drove them to join hands as firefighters to protect the dignity of the family, and to also restore hope and compassion in society.
Members of the club came in large numbers to support the initiative.
“We are here to honour the late Mr Sambo. We used to work together for Benoni Fire Station and the City of Johannesburg Fire Department, so he was one of our own,” said Marcia Kahlane, also a member of the Brotherhood Club.
“We are hoping to start the rebuilding project soon but for now we are still raising funds.”
