Video: Family left shattered after losing everything in fire

Junior Garatane was checking in on her neighbour opposite her home on Sunday, 8 January 2023, when she heard people screaming and someone urgently calling her to come outside.

Her house was up in flames. “Everything happened so fast. I didn’t know who I was or even where I am, I was completely disorientated,” Junior said. Still visibly distraught, Junior says amid all the chaos, she remembers neighbours trying their best to help put the fire out with no success.

“ People grabbed buckets filled with water and others tried using sand but nothing worked,” Junior explained. The firefighters were also called to the scene and eventually helped stop the fire. In just a matter of what felt like seconds, Junior saw almost all the renovations they had been working on for over a decade burn to ashes. “ I don’t work and my husband is a pensioner,” she explained.

“So over the years we would use the little we had to invest into building our family home,” she added. Since 2010 the family of four was living in their garage, which is where the fire sparked and was yet to move into their home. “Not a single thing of ours has survived from our ID’s, photos and all our clothes. Everything is gone,” she said in disbelief.

Because the family had been using the little that they had to build their home, insurance was the last thing on their mind. For now, the family is living at their grandmother’s house and says they would appreciate any help from the community.

“ People have already started helping us with clothes, we really can’t be picky at a time like this so we would really appreciate any help,” Junior added. Junior says she still can’t believe what happened and every time she comes back to the house she relives the tragedy. “The Lord works in mysterious ways. He will see us through” Junior sighed.

Video: Ntsoaki Mokete