Shack fire destroys family home
“The fire was already starting to spread to the other rooms and within seconds the four-roomed shack was engulfed.”
A family from Mamelodi lost everything in a fire that destroyed their shack in the early hours of Sunday.
The Ntuli family was asleep when the fire started in their shack in Mamelodi East ext. 11.
Lebogang Ntuli (37), Given Rikhotso (38) and two children, aged 13 and 9, were inside the structure at the time.
According to aunt Judith Ntuli, the 13-year-old woke both parents informing them about smoke inside their four-roomed shack.
The family rose and tried to determine the cause of the fire.
“It was already starting to spread to the other rooms and within seconds the shack was engulfed,” said Judith.
The family was forced to flee with only the clothes that they were wearing at the time.
“Their neighbours tried to help put the fire out with water buckets, but due to the wind the fire was uncontrollable,” she said.
Only the father, Given, sustained minor injuries in the blaze.
It is still unclear what caused the fire.
“Both parents are unemployed and reliant on social grants and hand-outs,” she said.
They lost everything including clothes, furniture, valuable documents such as IDs, Sassa cards, birth certificates as well as school books and uniforms.
Community members have already started helping the family to get back on their feet.
Judith said she bought the children some school uniforms while their school donated stationery and other community members donated clothes.
Founder of Tshepo Art and Projects, Tshepo Mmakanyane (22) donated clothes, blankets and shoes to the family after he read about the tragedy on social media.
The family is currently staying in a one-room shack and pleaded with the public to help with rebuilding their shack.
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