The fire allegedly gutted two thatched structures including a bar area destroying equipment and stock worth nearly R500 000. According to Maswanganyi, the cause of the fire is not known. “My staff told me that the fire suddenly appeared, raging furiously from the direction of a nearby farm. However, the farm owners say the fire did not originate with them. It is difficult to know what caused it,” she explained.
“Firefighters were on the scene but were unable to put it down; it was too strong,” she continued. “Our stock and furniture were destroyed. The fridges at the bar will be replaced by the companies that supplied them, but the rest is our loss,” she said. Maswanganyi said the lodge is only partially insured. “When I built this lodge, I started with a few buildings and insured them.”
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“However, I didn’t take out insurance on the additional structures that came later because I didn’t have enough money,” she explained. Maswanganyi started rebuilding the destroyed buildings to get the lodge operational again. This time, however, the bar area will not feature its luxurious thatch roof which keeps the venue cool in summer.
Instead, the roof will be constructed from concrete to minimise the chances of it catching fire again. “For the time being, I believe it is best to proceed in this manner because we are still attempting to recover damages. We may change it later if we see fit, but for the time being, we’re roofing with slates,” she explained.
