A Komani man lost everything when his home caught fire on Friday night and there was no water in the township taps to put it out.
Cinga Mdi lived in a backyard shack in Khayelitsha, Komani. On Friday he sent his two sisters to buy electricity while he prepared food for the family.
A small candle that had been left burning, started the fire in his shack.
“I tried to stop the flames using the bucket of water we kept in the house, but it was not enough.
“The taps were dry and there was nothing I could do,” Mdi said.
“My clothes, my ID, my sisters’ IDs and the file with all the information to get foster grants are gone.
“I repair people’s clothes using a sewing machine, and now all my clients’ clothes were also burnt in that fire,” he said holding back tears.
Mdi said he risked his life while the flames were blazing trying to get inside and grab anything that could be saved.
“When I opened the door, the blaze came straight at me and I grabbed only the sewing machine,” he said.
The screams of Hlumisa and Mamiza, Cinga’s sisters, brought the neighbours running to help.
The two girls panicked when they returned at about 9.30pm and saw the blaze but no trace of their brother, who was inside the shack trying to grab clothes and documents.
Neighbours, including the Dispatch reporter, tried to assist, bringing their own buckets of water, and some even tried flinging wet mud but the flames were too fierce.
The only way to stop the fire from burning the house’s electricity cables was to try and push the shack over.
But they only managed to push one side down, and then things began to explode inside.
Two hours later, as they were about to give up, firefighters arrived.
They stormed onto the scene and tried to extinguish the fire but there was not enough water in their tank.
A second truck was called but it was not until about midnight that the fire was completely extinguished.
Chris Hani district municipality spokeswoman Thobeka Mqamelo said they regretted any incident that resulted in losses.
“Our woes began when Bonkolo Dam, which was our primary source of water supply to the Komani area, started to drastically lose levels due to drought.
“This left us with an option to fully utilise our secondary source – Waterdown Dam, which has never been able to supply sufficient water to Komani,” she said.
Mqamelo said April 16 2016 marked the beginning of water cuts between 8pm and 4am, affecting all areas except the CBD and hospitals to allow the reservoirs to recoup.
“The rationale behind the night-time cuts is that there is reduced water usage at this time, so it is possible to have reservoir levels raised for water to be available the next day,” Mqamelo said.
She said the water cuts were still in place although demand made it difficult to sustain efficient service.
“Extensive awareness campaigns were undertaken to influence change of behaviour to use water sparingly and people to be conscious of the raging drought and its dire effects,” she said. — thembiles@dispatch.co.za
Man loses everything in shack fire with no water in taps to douse flames
Cinga Mdi lived in a backyard shack in Khayelitsha, Komani. On Friday he sent his two sisters to buy electricity while he prepared food for the family.
A small candle that had been left burning, started the fire in his shack.
“I tried to stop the flames using the bucket of water we kept in the house, but it was not enough.
“The taps were dry and there was nothing I could do,” Mdi said.
“My clothes, my ID, my sisters’ IDs and the file with all the information to get foster grants are gone.
“I repair people’s clothes using a sewing machine, and now all my clients’ clothes were also burnt in that fire,” he said holding back tears.
Mdi said he risked his life while the flames were blazing trying to get inside and grab anything that could be saved.
“When I opened the door, the blaze came straight at me and I grabbed only the sewing machine,” he said.
The screams of Hlumisa and Mamiza, Cinga’s sisters, brought the neighbours running to help.
The two girls panicked when they returned at about 9.30pm and saw the blaze but no trace of their brother, who was inside the shack trying to grab clothes and documents.
Neighbours, including the Dispatch reporter, tried to assist, bringing their own buckets of water, and some even tried flinging wet mud but the flames were too fierce.
The only way to stop the fire from burning the house’s electricity cables was to try and push the shack over.
But they only managed to push one side down, and then things began to explode inside.
Two hours later, as they were about to give up, firefighters arrived.
They stormed onto the scene and tried to extinguish the fire but there was not enough water in their tank.
A second truck was called but it was not until about midnight that the fire was completely extinguished.
Chris Hani district municipality spokeswoman Thobeka Mqamelo said they regretted any incident that resulted in losses.
“Our woes began when Bonkolo Dam, which was our primary source of water supply to the Komani area, started to drastically lose levels due to drought.
“This left us with an option to fully utilise our secondary source – Waterdown Dam, which has never been able to supply sufficient water to Komani,” she said.
Mqamelo said April 16 2016 marked the beginning of water cuts between 8pm and 4am, affecting all areas except the CBD and hospitals to allow the reservoirs to recoup.
“The rationale behind the night-time cuts is that there is reduced water usage at this time, so it is possible to have reservoir levels raised for water to be available the next day,” Mqamelo said.
She said the water cuts were still in place although demand made it difficult to sustain efficient service.
“Extensive awareness campaigns were undertaken to influence change of behaviour to use water sparingly and people to be conscious of the raging drought and its dire effects,” she said. — thembiles@dispatch.co.za
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