The incident occurred at 2am while the family was asleep. Jeffery said he heard two big blasts just outside his house and when he woke up he was surrounded by flames.
“I was in a panic. But the first thing I did was try to get my wife and children out of the house,” he said. He led them to the kitchen door, but struggled to open the security gate and in turn was forced to escape through a window in the main bedroom.
The flames engulfed the entire house causing the roof to collapse and setting his car, which stood in front of his house, alight. The incident has left him confused as he and his wife do not know who would’ve committed the crime.
“I don’t have any grudges against anyone and I’ve done nothing to deserve this,” he said.
With no home Jeffery, his wife and four children have been forced to stay in a City Lodge in Sandton since the incident and have struggled to find any accommodation for the future.
Ward Councillor of ward 109 Lilian Kekana said, ” I’ve called the housing department, and they said that since it’s a private home which has been insured they cannot offer them housing. But I have brought up the constitutional issue of their right to proper housing. The bank is prepared to rebuild the house, but it will take approximately four months.”
Warrant officer Moses Maphakela of Bramley police said that they have confirmed the incident as arson but have not determined the cause. He also said they have no suspects at this moment, but have begun an investigation and have sent various items to their forensics department for examination to accurately determined the cause of the fire.
