Fire victims plead for assistance
Makhubo alleged the fire was caused by a power surge.
Esther Makhubo (63) from Winnie Mandela Zone Eight was left distraught after her RDP house was destroyed by fire on June 3.
Makhubo alleged the fire was caused by a power surge.
“We had an early night due to the power outage. I woke up to a tremendous noise coming from the kitchen. I went to check what was happening and realised the house was on fire. I started screaming to wake everyone up,” Makhubo said.
She said one of her relatives, Johannes Modise, is still in Thembisa Hospital’s intensive care unit and Bontle Shandu and Eunice Yirwayi, who were assisting Makhubo as childminders the night the fire broke out, were discharged from the hospital after they were treated for injuries sustained in the fire.
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Three children that Makhubo and Yirwayi were caring for the night of the fire, as well as two of her grandchildren, were rescued by residents.
Makhubo told Thembisan that she was unable to save any of her possessions, which included clothes, blankets, furniture, identity documents and her grandchildren’s birth certificates.
“The most important thing is that no one lost their lives.”
Yirwayi sustained burns to her head, hands and face.
She said that she has no idea how she survived the fire and the wounds remind her of the agony she encountered.
“I woke up to gogo’s screams and hurried to the door to try to exit but the burglar door was locked. The fire started spreading throughout the house,” Yirwayi said.
“Residents managed to break down the door and I tripped and fell on my hands as I was trying to run to the door. The ambulance took us to the hospital where I woke up the next day and experienced a lot of pain. This horrible experience will stay with me forever. I’ve never experienced such agony in my life.”
The family is pleading with residents to donate essentials, such as non-perishable foods, clothes and blankets.
Ward Clr Dorus Makwela visited the family to donate blankets, assist with the clean-up operation and requested the Department of Housing on Makhubo’s behalf to reconstruct the RDP.
“In such cases, there are blankets that are provided for by the City’s emergency team; trauma counselling services are also provided for and we liaise with stakeholders such as Sassa, Home Affairs and non-profit organisations,” said City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
“Our emergency team members who attend to events of this nature take down details of the victims and these are sent to the Department of Social Development. Social workers are also dispatched to help the victims.”
Dlamini said that the City has not received any information regarding the cause of the fire.
“Eskom has advised the public to disconnect all appliances during load-shedding to prevent any power surge.”
Dlamini reminded residents to report officials who fail to carry out their responsibilities and assist their communities on the following hotlines:
• Anti-fraud hotline 0800 102 201
• ethicsinfo@ekurhuleni.gov.za
• The nearest customer care centre.
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