Ndlambe businesses, municipality team up to help family hit by fire
Home burnt down, three dead in fire, but ongoing renovation project will help occupants
The Port Alfred branches of ABSA Bank, Buco and Build It teamed up for a Mandela Day intervention with community members, ANC councillors, Community Work Programme workers and Ndlambe municipal officials. They spent their 67 minutes (and more) helping prepare a Nemato house for renovation after it burnt down in April during loadshedding. A couple and their child lost their lives in the fire.
The Ndlambe mayor’s office spearheaded the programme, with mayor Khuluwa Ncamiso leading by example, using a spade to clear debris from the Kosani family’s RDP house. Speaker Andile Marasi, ANC councillors, Ndlambe fire and rescue services staff, community members and Port Alfred ABSA bank manager Celeste du Plessis, Working on Fire and Community Work Programme workers also pitched in with spades to clear the debris around the family’s home.
“Our main aim is to help,” said Ncamiso. “As the mayor’s office we have identified this family where three people died in a fire in April.”
However, she emphasised that this was not a once-off event.
“We are going to come here every week to the Kosani family to renovate this house,” Ncamiso said.
The official handover will be on July 29, the end of Mandela Month. ABSA Bank, Build It and Buco have committed to sponsoring materials to renovate the house.
Special programmes unit manager in the Mayor’s office, Mluleki Ncapayi, echoed the mayor’s words and explained how the programme had come about.
“This is part of the office of the mayor ’ s annual programme,” Ncapayi said. “This year, together with the communications office, we picked this family to renovate their RDP home.”
Ncapayi said they would fix the roof, front door and windows, adding that the business
sponsors had committed to providing the material needed.
“Buco has already committed to donate a door and paint for the interior and exterior. Build It and ABSA are still waiting for the list of the things needed. At this moment, we are still making the list as we clear the area.
“But as you”can he said. see, [everything] inside was burnt to ashes,
An emotional Nomveliso Kosani, who owns the house, explained how the fire happened.
“There was Eskom load-shedding at 7pm and when the power came back at 9pm the electric box [exploded],” Kosani said.
The fire from the main house had raced along the cables to the rented shack behind it while the couple and their child were sleeping.
“The wife managed to escape, because I heard her shouting outside, but she went inside to rescue her husband and child and she never came back,” said Kosani. “The fire was already out of control.”
“Their shack was full of clothes and paints which might have contributed to the dangerous fire. I saw their dead bodies. I am still shaking even now when I think about the incident.”
Kosani explained that the victims were not family members, but tenants.