A MARIANNRIDGE family is having sleepless nights after they suffered a terrible blow when their council flat was destroyed in a fire in November 28.
The Dlamini family said they have still not received proper assistance, two months later.
The flat in Comet Place was occupied by a pensioner, his daughter and her three sons.
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According to the daughter, Puseletso Dlamini, the family was told by the fire department that the blaze was due to the wiring in one of the wall plugs in a bedroom.
She said her father was asleep when the fire broke out and had to be carried out due to smoke inhalation.
“I have reported this matter to the local councillor and was told the matter had been escalated, and to be patient. It is so sad that, as a leader of the community, he has not come even once to see the damage.”
The resident said people from the Department of Human Settlements came to take pictures with a promise that they would get back to them.
The fed-up Dlamini said their situation got worse when the rain came. “Our house was flooded as my bedroom was completely destroyed – there is no roof.”
She told the Highway Mail that when it rains, she and her 15-year-old son cannot sleep as they have to constantly wipe up water.
“At one time, the water level was just above my ankles. We scooped the water with dustpans into buckets with the help of neighbours,” she said.
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After posting her ordeal on Facebook, she said she was contacted by a lady called Roxanne Pennington, a Patriotic Alliance leader in their community.
What angers Dlamini is that Pennington and her team have already secured roof material, paint and other stuff for the house but said the councillor refused their assistance.
“The flat is still not fixed. We have no concrete feedback besides being told about the process; we have not been assisted with anything. One of our neighbours tried to put a sail cover, but it is not secured because it blows whenever it rains or there is wind.
“We hardly sleep – we are constantly sick – my father had to go and stay with my sister because of the situation,” said a desperate Dlamini.
She said each day is a struggle. “We are always facing one dilemma after another; we have no other place, and we are forced to stay here. I feel sad for my children who have to suffer like this. I am so disappointed; no one deserves this,” said the concerned mother.
Ward councillor Reginald Bouy Cloete said that, unfortunately, municipal issues do not get resolved overnight, but they are doing everything in their power to speed up the process.
“The matter was reported to the Department of Human Settlement who went to access the damage and are working on fixing the house. We understand that there was a pensioner staying in the house, and the lady and the children are still residing in the house as they have no alternative, which is the reason we are trying to speed up the process for them to get assistance as soon as possible.”
Asked about refusing other people’s help, Cloete denied those allegations.
“I was not informed about that, but those flats are municipal houses – no one has ownership of them – no one has a right to renovate or extend them. Unfortunately, the family will have to wait for all procedures to be followed, but they will get assistance as authorities are working on this matter,” he said.
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