Byline: Andani Matumba
05 July 2022
As the temperatures drop this winter, three (3) tenants in Embalenhle Ex 25, were left without shelter, clothing, blankets and their personal documents after their backroom shacks burned down on Friday, 01 June 2022.
The fire started from a corner backroom spreading to the other two rooms before reaching the main house.
Everything in the backrooms has completely burned down, from beds, refrigerators, beds, blankets and other items which were in the tenant’s rooms meanwhile only one bedroom in the house was affected by the fire destroying, the bed and bedding, the walls and the roof and the window which broke because of the fire before spreading into the main house.
It was around 11h00 in the morning when this tragic fire incident took place and the tenants were all work.
The Landlord, Ms Ntombi Nonyondla said she was sleeping in her bedroom in the main house when one of the neighbours came into the room and told her that the corrugated iron backrooms were on fire.
The neighbors came and rescued Nonyondla and brought along buckets of water to help put the fire out.
One of the neighbors said he used sand to put the fire out which was coming from the prepaid electricity meter box.
Nonyondla says as she is disabled and rely on a wheelchair for mobility, she would have burned in the house today if it was not for her neighbors came in neighbors to help her put the fire out.
It is suspected that the electricity was ether caused by load shedding when the electricity back or a tenant who left a stove on.
According to Cllr Siphiwe Sindelo, a ward councillor of ward 4 in Govan Mbeki Municipality, the fire department at Govan Mbeki dispatched fire-fighters to assist in putting out the fire.
Cllr Sindelo said the situation was assessed and the municipality with draft a report on its findings regarding the incident.
For those who wish to assist with beds, blankets, basic necessities, refurbishments and appliances, kindly contact the Landlord, Ms Ntombi Nonyondla on 078 8777 660
