Family of seven lose everything in house fire

A family of seven have lost their home and all their belongings after a fire destroyed their house in Soshanguve on Saturday.

Grandfather Mishack Mahlangu, 68, said he was fixing his fridge in his back yard when the fire started.

“I saw smoke coming from the roof,” Mahlangu said. “When I got there, the house was already burning, with black smoke. I tried to put the fire out but was too late.

“When firefighters arrived, the fire had already escalated to other rooms. Our furniture and almost everything that was in the house, clothes, schoolbooks and food, was destroyed.”

Mahlangu said the family managed to save one bed by taking it through a sliding door.

“My grandchildren’s birth certificates and IDs were burnt. I have mine because I always carry it on me,” he said.

Mahlangu said his family had dispersed to different relatives for shelter.

“I am staying near my house to watch over it because officials told me they would return to conduct a forensic investigation, and I will wait for them.”

He hopes they can rebuild the seven-roomed house to reunite the family under one roof.

“We need a lot of help. Food is important, but what I care about most is the house.”

The cause of the fire is not yet confirmed.

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