One of the beds in the house was ravaged by the flames.
The home of two elderly, vision-impaired brothers was engulfed in flames in Tshing in the early hours of Saturday morning.
According to Col. Adéle Myburgh, the NW SAPS spokesperson, the Ventersdorp police are investigating a case of arson after the fire destroyed all their belongings.
On Friday night, the brothers (aged 81 and 75 respectively) went to bed at 20:00. ‘At 02:00 on Saturday morning, one of them woke up to the smell of something burning. The whole house was already full smoke. He then went to the other room to wake his brother up. They went outside to seek help from the neighbours.
‘The neighbours tried to douse the flames with sand and water but the raging fire was too strong and everywhere in the four-roomed house.
‘By the time the fire and rescue personnel arrived at the scene, most of their belongings had already been destroyed,’ she reported.
According to Myburgh, the cause of the fire will only be determined after the police investigations.
Fire destroyed all the brothers’ belongings. Photos: Provided
However, Naledi Rampa, the community leader, says the community suspects that the fire was caused by a smart meter box that had recently been installed at the house. ‘The fire department cannot determine what caused the fire. There were no candles, cigarette, paraffin, stoves or heaters anywhere near the scene.’
‘What pains me is that they removed a meter box that was operating properly without any glitches,’ he says.
‘It is tragic that the J.B. Marks disaster management cannot assist with anything. They only brought a sponge mattress for the brothers. How are they supposed to sleep on that mattress?’ he asked.
‘Apparently, Sassa (SA Social Services Agency) can only assist with R1 000. The brothers are currently being accommodated by a woman who stays nearby on a temporary basis. They are just hoping for a good Samaritan to come along and assist them,’ he said.
‘We warned the municipality not to install these meter boxes. We are not convinced that the company that installed them asked for a certificate of compliance. (This is a document that verifies that electrical installations like plugs, lights, geysers and wiring in a home comply with the legislated requirements as detailed in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.)
The municipal spokesperson had not responded to the Herald’s queries by the time of going to print.
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