UPDATE: TMPD gives east family much-needed help
Tears of joy flowed on Thursday, at the Faerie Glen nature reserve as a family received donations and home after their house burned down last week.
Tears of joy flowed on Thursday, at the Faerie Glen nature reserve as a family received donations and home after their house burned down last week.
The fire broke out in the Moloto home of a Tshwane metro police officer Kwele Ngako on 10 October, while she was at work. “I was on duty and my mother came home from church and wanted to rest as she had a funeral to go to later,” Ngako said.
“So she rested on the couch for a few minutes.”
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While Ngako’s mother, Linah, was taking a rest, she heard a “funny” sound and got up to go see where it was coming from.
“First, my mother went to the kitchen, but there was nothing,” she said.
“When she went to the spare room, the curtains had already caught fire.”
Linah went outside to call for help.
“The neighbours came with water, but they could not stop the fire,” she said.
“By the time the fire department arrived on the scene, it was too late and the house was already destroyed.”
She said it was not yet clear what caused the fire.
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Last Thursday, the family was assisted by good Samaritans from the community and with household items and clothes by the Tshwane metro, the metro police and Ethiopian and Eritrean business communities in Pretoria, known as Habesha.
They also received R13 950 cash donation.
The family had also since been relocated to accommodation in the Faerie Glen nature reserve.
Community safety MMC Karen Meyer and Tshwane metro police chief Lieutenant-General Johanna Nkomo attended the donation handover.
“This is phenomenal,” Meyer said.
“This family lost everything and where do you go when something like this happens? If you don’t have a foundation, like the TMPD, I don’t know where you would go.”
Meyer thanked everyone who helped make the donation possible.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said.
“To the family, we are there for you and we hope that this will be a new start for you. We trust that this will help.”
Ngako said they were without words after the donation.
“We are very grateful for this donation,” said Ngako.
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“We do not have the words to express our gratitude.”
Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said he was grateful for the quick response of the metro police following the fire.
“I spread the word about the family in need and did not know what would come of it,” he said.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed to this initiative.”
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