Fire razes home
"This has been our home for more than 40 years, and there's a claim in process for this very land. I don't understand how the bank sold this portion of land,"
Mr Meshack Kaiser Mndebele (57), his wife, Linah Mavimbela (49), and three children of Mooifontein near Breyten were left homeless last week when their three-roomed shack was gutted by fire.
The family members were attending a funeral at another farm near Ermelo when they received the news.
“I can’t explain the shock. We are practically homeless and as the man of the family I really don’t know what to do,” said Mr Mndebele.
His wife also expressed her shock.
“It is really inexplicable that our place could just perish like that. We have no clothes other than what’s on our backs right now and our children’s school uniforms were also destroyed,” she said.
When asked what caused the fire, Mr Mndebele said he suspected foul play.
He said there had been several attempts to remove him from the farm. He added that it was strange that none of the neighbours saw or heard anything.
“This has been our home for more than 40 years, and there’s a claim in process for this very land. I don’t understand how the bank sold this portion of land,” said Mr Mndebele.
The family has in the meantime found temporary refuge at a nearby school. Friends have helped their children with school uniforms.
The Department of Social Development was informed of the matter and promised to pay the family a visit to establish what kind of help they can provide to the family.
Mr Mndebele reported the matter to the Breyten Police for investigation.
