Fire leaves family homeless

THE Mkhize family from Sub 5 near Wyebank was left stranded when their house burnt down on Monday.

During an emotional interview, Idah Mkhize said it is difficult to accept that the house which she built from scratch was destroyed within minutes.

The Mkhize’s have been residing in that area since 1990. They were living in a shack and when Idah resigned from work she used her money to build her family a house which had five rooms.

“I was at the clinic when I received a call from my neighbour who told me that my house was on fire. I asked them to call the fire department. When I arrived at my house everything was burnt and the only thing that was saved were the sofas,” said Idah.

Idah who resides with her husband, son and two grandchildren said she is uncertain about the cause of the fire.

“My grandchild who was suppose to start Grade 1 on Wednesday could not go to school because her uniform was also destroyed in the fire,” she added.

Ward 19 councillor, Bheki Mvubu said this incident is very unfortunate.

“Idah is the breadwinner for her family and they have lost everything. On the day of the tragedy, we bought groceries for them so that they can have something to eat. I have spoken to the eThekwini Municipality disaster department to assist with blankets and food. However, we do need assistance from other people. We are appealing to any hardware store to donate building material and we encourage people to donate their old clothes,” said Mvubu.

Anyone who would like to assist the Mkhize family can contact Idah on 079 388 0517 or Mvubu on 073 541 3246.