SIBONGISENI MAPHUMULO
Marselle resident Yoliswa Fana is pleading for assistance after her home was destroyed by a fire in the early hours of August 28th. The fire, which started between 12:45 and 1:00 am, is believed to have been caused by a faulty Eskom meter box.
In an emotional interview, Fana shared how she initially thought the loud noises outside her house were made by her son. “I was half asleep and thought maybe my son was beating a snake or something,” she said. However, the noise persisted, and when she finally woke up fully to investigate, she discovered smoke and flames in her living room. The fire was already spreading from the Eskom meter box.
In a panic, Fana rushed out of the house through the kitchen door and went to her sister Yokiwe Cynthia Fana, who lives next door. “After waking up my sister, I started to lose my voice. The smoke had suffocated me, and I was struggling to breathe,” she recalled.
Her sister shouted for help, and neighbors gathered quickly to try to put out the flames using their own water supplies. Unfortunately, Marselle experiences water cuts between 10 pm and 5 am, so they ran out of water before they could control the fire.
Emergency services were called, and a fire truck eventually arrived, but the situation was far from under control. “The fire truck came with only a driver and one passenger. They ran out of water and had to call for backup,” Fana explained. Due to high winds, the fire reignited while they waited for the backup to arrive.
The backup truck arrived late, and with only one firefighter on board, it was challenging to manage the situation. “If the backup had arrived earlier, I don’t believe the damage would have been this bad,” Fana lamented. Despite their efforts, the fire consumed most of her home, sparing only two rooms.
Fana is currently staying with her sister. The following morning, she contacted Micky Nelson, her landlord from Sparg’s Funishers, who promptly sent money for her to see a doctor and offered to provide replacement furniture. However, Fana declined the offer for now, as she has nowhere to store the new items.
She also reached out to the local council and the Ndlambe Municipality for help. Unfortunately, she was informed that they are unable to rebuild her home due to a long waiting list for housing. However, the municipality has promised to provide temporary housing, though Fana was still waiting for it as of September 5th. “I’ve been waiting since the day the incident happened, and they only showed up on September 4th,” Fana said.
The first assistance she received came from the DA Ndlambe, who provided food and clothing for her and her son, Xolisa. Among those who came to her aid were DA Constituency Leader Jane Cowley, PR Councilor Phil Kani, and DA’s Ndlambe Caucus Leader Sikhumbuzo “Skura” Venene.
Fana is now appealing to the community for further assistance. She is in urgent need of clothes for both herself and her son. “I wear a size 42 dress or skirt and size 8 shoes, and my son wears size 40 pants and size 10 or 11 shoes,” she said. Those willing to help can find her at 701 Johans Street in Marselle.
The Fana family’s resilience shines through despite their loss, but they need the community’s support to rebuild their lives after this devastating incident.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, September 12, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.