Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Amasango Career School premises handover in Extension 10
  • Gutters for the rain
  • Anti-Crime group murder trial postponed
  • Concern and condemnation of recent attacks on Grocott’s journalist
  • Bekushiyana OoMama ukondla kwi tumente yamagqiyazana
  • Makana’s crime spirals out of control
  • Makana Municipality still unresponsive over sewage spill: family
  • ‘We want our jobs back’
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»NEWS»Fighting fire with buckets on ‘water-off day’
NEWS

Fighting fire with buckets on ‘water-off day’

Well-known mechanic Qhelile Fesi loses home and business in fire
Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailFebruary 16, 2023Updated:February 17, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Sibabalwe Tame on the right interviewing popular local mechanic Qhelile Fesi after Fesi's business burnt down in 2023. Photo: Slovo Dyira

By SLOVO DYIRA and SIBABALWE TAME

Well-known local mechanic, Qhelile Fesi, was shattered when his family home burnt to the ground on 18 January. Although nobody was physically injured, Fesi said it “damaged him” to lose the house he grew up in to fire.

“I was born here, I grew up here, I did everything here,” said Fesi.

Fesi says it was a water-off day when the fire started and nobody was at his home. Neighbours rushed to help with buckets of water but by the time Fesi rushed home, he was too late to save his house.

“Everything was burnt during the fire. There is nothing left,” said Fesi, adding that he believes the cause of the fire to be a load shedding-related power surge.

Business inherited from father burns down too

Fesi lost his business too – a business he loved and inherited from his father, who taught him to fix cars. The friendly mechanic is well known in the community for having mentored people into the mechanic trade. However, his clients are still bringing their cars to him to fix.

“My business is not the same as before, but it is coming along bit by bit,” he said. The keys of his clients’ cars also burnt during the fire, and unfortunately he is now required to compensate them for this loss. He has also received a quote for R23 000 for damages to one of his client’s cars, which he now has to pay.

Former Makana Executive Mayor Nomhle Gaga’s car was also at Fesi’s shop for repairs when the fire occurred but although it was burnt, Gaga has not asked Fesi to pay for the damages.

Meanwhile, Fesi has had to move in with one of his children. He received two mattresses and a Jojo water tank from the municipality’s disaster management division and was visited by a councillor

Makana Brick comes to the rescue

Local business Makana Brick have donated 10 pallets of bricks for Fesi to rebuild his home and business and Khaya Blocks has promised cement. People have also donated clothes.

“I am hoping for any person who is willing to help, to do so,” said Fesi.

Mr Fesi can be contacted on 073 892 6028.

The generous donation of 10 pallets of bricks from Makana Brick. Photo: Slovo Dyira

Previous ArticlePeople are entitled to more than this – Athol Trollip
Next Article United vs Blues in thrilling curtain-raiser
Grocott's Mail

    Comments are closed.

    Tweets by Grocotts
    Newsletter



    Listen

    The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.