It was a bitter-sweet moment when the keys to a new house were handed to the family of an 80-year-old woman who had burned to death in her home.
|||Durban - It was a bittersweet moment on Monday when the keys to a new house were handed over to the family of an 80-year-old woman who had burnt to death in her home.
eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo and local councillor Themba Shelembe had visited the home on July 2, shortly after Dorah Mbhele’s charred body had been taken away.
She had been trapped when her rondavel caught fire. It was not clear whether the fire had been caused by a candle or a faulty electricity meter.
After the roof had caved in, the windows burst and the door caught alight. Neighbours watched in helpless horror as Mbhele’s body was burnt.
They were unable to douse the flames because their area of KwaNgcolosi, outside Hillcrest, had not had water for more than a month.
Mbhele lived with her two granddaughters. Fortunately they were not home when the blaze started.
One of them, S’nethemba Ndlovu, 19, has since given birth to twin boys.
“We lived in the rondavel because the main house was so dilapidated. After the fire we were forced to move back into it. It was like sleeping outside. When it rained, water would come in through the holes in the roof and walls. I was really worried for my babies.”
Although still heartsore, Ndlovu said she was grateful she now has a home to raise her sons in.
“We named the babies Luyanda and Lusanda because their birth means that this family is still growing.”
Mbhele’s sister Emily, 91, said: “This house has brought back dignity to my sister’s home.”
Sitting in front of the house overlooking her younger sister’s thornbush-covered grave on the property, Emily said she would never get over the painful way she had died, but the demolition of the burnt-out rondavel to make way for the new house went a long way to helping her forget.
Shelembe said the family had been on the housing list, but theirs had been fast-tracked out of concern for the twins.
“We will have electricity and water hooked up by the end of this week,” said Shelembe.
Also, workmen were busy replacing copper piping with plastic nearby to stop theft and vandalism which resulted in water cuts from time to time.
Daily News