AS families are planning for the Christmas holidays and spending some quality time with their loved ones, a single mother of three is desperate for assistance after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Mariannridge and left her destitute.
Puseletso Dlamini resided in a three-bedroom flat with her three boys and her father, who is a pensioner. The fire destroyed her bedroom with all her belongings.
According to Dlamini, she was told by firefighters that the fire that engulfed her room was sparked by a plug in her bedroom.
“Everything in my bedroom turned into ashes, including my boys’ school uniform, important documents and some of their clothes, which I keep in my room,” she said.
The 35-year-old said the other rooms were slightly damaged by the smoke.
The unemployed Dlamini said she was not at home when the fire started.
“My children were playing around the neighbourhood, and my 71-year-old father was watching television in the lounge and didn’t even notice there was a fire. A neighbour saw the fire, and my older son who was playing outside quickly ran to the house. They had to carry my father out of the house as he had already inhaled the smoke.
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“I have been left with a room with no windows and roof. We have no electricity at the moment as it was affected by the fire. We still reside in the flat since we have nowhere to go. We are living on takeaways as we cannot cook proper food.”
Dlamini said her father is currently staying with his other daughter.
“I can’t expect him to stay under our current situation as he is old, and my younger son is staying with my neighbour.”
As they reside in the three-storey flat and are on the third floor, the water that was used to extinguish the fire goes straight to the flat underneath theirs.
“It is raining as we speak, and the water is seeping through, and that pains me as it is causing damage to their belongings, as well,” she said on Monday.
All she wishes is for someone to assist in rebuilding her bedroom. “I would appreciate any assistance or donations, clothes and furniture.
“I am just grateful that no one was injured and that the fire was quickly extinguished before it could damage the whole house.”
Anyone who would like to assist can contact Dlamini at 071 111 5266.
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