Cliffdale family loses everything in devastating fire
What Tholakele Dladla built from scratch, with the hard-earned money she received from her former work, turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
THE Dladla family lost everything when their three-bedroom home in Cliffdale burnt down on September, 8.
“It still feels unbelievable. Our years of hard work have vanished and we have lost everything,” sighed Dladla.
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She rushed home after she received a frantic phonecall from a neighbour, who said her house had gone up in flames.
“My colleague gave me a lift home and as we approached the driveway, the roof collapsed. What I feared most was that my son was in there,” she said.
What kept her sane and calm after the ordeal was seeing her seven-year-old son run towards her.
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When she resigned, Dladla said she decided to purchase a plot and build a home for herself, her family and children.
“I did not want to misuse the money and I wanted to use it for something I could be proud of,” she said.
Dladla, her husband and her son now sleep in the garage. It is the only room that was left with a roof. “It is hard. Every time it rains we are forced to wake up as there are cracks and we fear that we might get injured,” she said.
The 44-year-old mother of two said that starting from scratch would not be an easy task, but she was ready for the challenge.
“I never expected something like this to happen. We will try to pick up the pieces and buy things, bit by bit,” said a saddened Dladla.
The family has already started to pick up the pieces and have purchased a few bricks to begin the rebuild, but they are in need of building material.
According to the homeowner, the fire was started by a candle. She also thanked her colleagues and the community for assisting them with food during the ordeal.
“My son’s teacher also organised him a stationery and I am very grateful,” she said.
To assist, contact Tholakele Dladla on 074 357 9982.
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