A BULAWAYO family is appealing for material and financial assistance after they lost all their belongings to an inferno, which gutted their Gwabalanda house on Tuesday last week.
BY ALEXIS SIBANDA
Annaline Makowa (47) of 7002, Gwabalanda, Bulawayo, told Southern Eye that her family lost all their belongings in the fire. She is seeking about $1 090 for refurbishment from well-wishers.
“We lost everything during the fire and nothing was recovered. At the present moment, we do not have electricity and we need about $1 090 to buy the wiring, replace the asbestos,” she said.
Makowa said they also need to fix the windows and doors which were smashed by neighbours as they tried to put out the fire. “Our neighbours had to break down doors and windows to gain access into the house and put out the fire, so we also need new doors and window panes. We lost a wardrobe, bed, television set and all our clothes,” she added.
Makowa said no one was in the house when the fire broke out, as her children were all at school, while she was at work. She suspects that one of her child’s friends could have caused the fire.
“My neighbours mentioned that they saw a boy running from the house when they saw the fire. I suspect that it is one of my nine-year-old son’s friends who could have gained access into the house, as he knows where we keep the keys. There were matches in the wardrobe which I use to light mosquito coils, so I suspect he might have used that,” she said.
Mariah Khumalo, a neighbour, said they saw smoke coming out of the house at midday and rushed to douse the fire.
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“We had to break down the windows and doors in order to remove property in other rooms. We connected a hosepipe from my house to douse the fire. When the fire brigade arrived, we had already put out the fire,” she said.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association chairman Maclean Nkomo urged residents to be careful when using fire or handling highly flammable products.
“As a community, we thank the neighbours who quickly assisted in putting out the fire because it shows that people are united.
We are not certain what caused the fire. However, we urge those who are investigating to find the cause, so that other families do not make similar mistakes. We also ask the community to offer assistance to the family in cash or kind,” he said. She can be contacted on 0773 218 818.
