eMzinoni family desperately needs help after a fire and a scam
The actual landowner approached Sikgobela as the corrugated walls and roof were up.
Already devastated by the fire that destroyed his eMzinoni shack, a scammer conned Sibusiso Sikgobela (39) out of R1 000, his last bit of money.
Sikgobela, an employee at the Bethal SPCA, went about his daily routine at work when he received a call at around 09:15 on April 24 that his shack was on fire.
Because it was the last day of school, his three children, Sinenhlanhla (15), Thapelo (4) and Lerato (2), stayed home for the day and were asleep in the shack when the fire broke out.
His wife Glender (38), a domestic worker, was also at work. Neighbours saw the fire and evacuated the children. The traumatised children escaped unharmed.
Sikgobela rushed to his home; only to find it completely burnt to the ground when he arrived. Neighbours helped to douse the fire. It is unknown how the fire started.
The family used a coal stove to cook, however, the coal stove was still intact and there were no signs of the coal being lit.
There is also no electricity on the stand to justify an electrical fault.
According to Sibusiso, this is the fourth time a shack has burnt down on this stand. The three previous owners reported their shacks also burnt down on the same property.
“We lost everything. I cannot even speak; I do not want my children to see me cry,” said an emotional Sikgobela.
He thanks God and the neighbours for saving his children from the fire. Sikgobela feels rebuilding on the same stand is a bad omen, because of fires that had happened there before.
He started looking for another stand to rebuild his family home when an eMzinoni resident offered Sikgobela a stand for R6 000.
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“All I could afford was a R1 000 deposit. The man, who I thought was the landowner, told me I could pay the rest of the money off,” Sikgobela said.
Sikgobela began rebuilding his shack on the new stand with that salvaged from the fire and materials donated by the community.
He hired a builder to help and forked out additional money for a truck to deliver the old and new building materials.
The actual landowner approached Sikgobela as the corrugated walls and roof were up.
“He requested me to take my shack down and remove my building material because he was the rightful owner of the stand. I showed him the affidavit of the stand sale agreement, but he did not care. I then realised I was robbed and scammed of my money,” Sikgobela said.
“I had to break everything down. I am back to square one; I do not know how much more of this I can handle,” Sikgobela cried.
Although Sikgobela knows who the scammer is, he has not yet opened a case out of fear of victimisation and intimidation.
“I chose not to retaliate for my and my family’s safety. There is nothing I can do. I hoped I could rebuild my family home. I even called my wife and told her I had the land, rebuild for her and she would have a home when she returned from work.”
“We have nothing. I feel empty; I cannot even put food on my family table,” said an emotional Sikgobela.
A community member temporarily stored all my building materials taken down. His concern is to get another stand. Currently, his family is sharing a shack with another family.
When the news broke, the Bethal SPCA posted on their Facebook page for help and donations for Sikgobela and his family.
They have since received clothes, sponge mattresses, blankets and building materials. Unfortunately, there is no place to store the donations until his shack is built.
Anyone who can assist with a stand or piece of land where Sikgobela can erect a shack can contact the Bethal SPCA office on 066 397 1630 or email office@spcabethal.co.za
