Community development workers, Ward 5 councillor Xolani Simakuhle and people from the local Aids Council paid a visit to the victims of the fire in Phaphamani on Monday.
They donated various items including blankets, baby clothes, groceries and important documents. The various organisations were also accompanied by Robert Brooks from the fire department.
Community development workers, Ward 5 councillor Xolani Simakuhle and people from the local Aids Council paid a visit to the victims of the fire in Phaphamani on Monday.
They donated various items including blankets, baby clothes, groceries and important documents. The various organisations were also accompanied by Robert Brooks from the fire department.
The response comes Luvoyo Hashe and his loved ones lost their small shack and all its contents to a fire on Sunday after an alleged disagreement between his two sisters. A one-month old baby was rescued from the fire by neighbours before the fire was put out. One of the sisters, Nelisa Kom says that for the time being, they are staying with neighbours and relatives until the shack is rebuilt. She also says that some of her neighbours also helped out by donating food and clothing. When the different organisations arrived in Phaphamani, some of the neighbours came to offer their thanks and explained how they feared for the family’s life, especially the baby.
Smakuhle advised the family and some of the neighbours who were surrounding him that they "shouldn’t be careless when lighting fires in their shacks." He also urged the community members to meet and form an area committee where they can appoint a responsible person to report any problems to the relevant councillor.
"You must meet once a month and discuss all the social issues that the community is concerned about," he said. Meanwhile, community development workers, Zoleka Ndibaza and Luleka Mthintwa also assisted them by giving them new identity documents. Ndibaza handed over a birth certificate to Kom and advised her to keep it in a safe place. After acknowledging that the baby doesn’t have a birth certificate, she told the mother to apply for one as soon as possible because, "one can’t live without necessary identity documents". Nohambile Moni, a concerned neighbour who witnessed the fire, says she never expected it to happen and that it was bad experience for the family. Other neighbours who were present said that they were grateful that the baby’s life was saved in time. ”We were realy worried about them, but now we are happy that they are all alive." the neighbours said.
