Sacca residents rebuild after alleged lovers’ quarrel ends in shack fire

Residents from Sacca informal settlement in Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg, have started to rebuild their homes after a fire on Thursday morning.

Many residents only learnt they had lost their homes after their work day. It is believed a woman from the settlement started the fire following an argument with her boyfriend.

Mbuyiselo Ganyile, who returned to his home of 16 years after work, was shocked to find it had burnt down.

“I only have the clothes I am wearing on my back. I have lost everything, even two bags full of clothes I bought for my children for Christmas. We are grateful that no lives were lost during the fire,” he said. Lusando Delani told Capital Newspapers the couple, who were living together, had an argument before the boyfriend left for work. Delani said the boyfriend locked his shack when he left.

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“A few minutes later, I heard someone trying to break into the shack. I tried to stop the girlfriend but needed to return to my shack as I had left my four-month-old child. Then I heard people shouting that there was a fire. I took my baby and tried to grab my belongings. My child’s food, clothes and Pampers burnt in the fire,” she said. Simphiwe Wayiza said he was asleep when he was woken by people to alert him about the fire.

“It was around 7am and we tried to douse the flames but we failed until the fire engines came. We are now going to squat with other residents who were not affected by the fire. I managed to get some of my things but a lot got burnt,” he said.

ALSO READ: Video/pics: Alex residents protest after weekend shack fires destroy homes, kill two

He added that he had been living at the settlement for 14 years and shacks got burnt regularly.

This article was republished from Capital Newspapers with permission 

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