Wright Park family pleads for help after house fire destroys all possessions
A devastating early morning fire left the Mawela family without a home, as community efforts now focus on finding assistance to help them rebuild from scratch.
WRIGHT PARK – Nearly three months after a fire gutted their home and reduced all their possessions to ash, the Mawela family is still pleading for help to rebuild their lives.
The fire broke out in the early hours of May 4, when none of the five family members were at home. It was neighbours who first saw the flames and alerted emergency services. Despite the fire department’s efforts, the family lost nearly everything.
“The furniture, kitchen appliances, pots, dishes, and clothing items – all gone. The only thing that survived was the washing machine,” said Basner Mawela, a member of the family.
He explained that the house had originally been constructed from boarding panels before brick walls were built around it. The boards, he said, contributed to how quickly the fire spread throughout the structure.
“All the boards that partitioned the rooms were burned down. We’ve been struggling for months to get assistance to rebuild. We don’t know who will come to our rescue,” Mawela added.
Sibongile Mawela, another family member living in Kwa-Thema, said the experience has taken an emotional and financial toll on the entire family.
“We don’t know where to start or what to do. We’ve tried to make ends meet as a family, but it’s extremely difficult when you’re starting from scratch. We are in desperate need of help,” she said tearfully.
Ward councillor Thulane Simelane has stepped in, appealing to the local Chamber of Commerce and urging private companies to assist the family.
“The Chamber is an umbrella body for several businesses, so I wrote a formal letter explaining what happened and asked the family to follow up with an email,” he said.
Simelane noted that rebuilding a home destroyed by fire is no small task, especially in the absence of insurance.
“There’s a lot that needs to be fixed – the roofing, plumbing, electrical rewiring, and more,” he explained. “It’s a massive undertaking, and the family cannot do it alone.”
He called on the community, the private sector, and local TVET colleges to get involved.
“The college could assist by donating materials such as roofing sheets as part of their in-service training programmes. We are pleading with anyone who can to support the Mawela family in whatever way they can,” he said.
