DURBAN - THE South Durban community of Merebank are rallying together to assist a destitute family who lost their belongings when their house caught alight on Monday.
The fire swept through the house situated on Sialkot Crescent at 6.30pm.
Merebank Residents Association (MRA) spokesperson Raven Naidoo said the cause of the fire was still being investigated.
Naidoo said he rushed over to the house as soon as he heard about the fire and when he got there the two-bedroom house was well alight.
“The family are destitute. They are left with the clothing on their back,” Naidoo explained.
“The fire spread rapidly and engulfed all their possessions.”
Two adults and two children lived in the house.
The adults are unemployed.
“They did not have electricity supply for more than a decade. The MRA recently intervened and got the eThekwini Municipality to re-connect their water supply,” he said.
Naidoo said an outbuilding on Sialkot Crescent had also caught alight on Sunday.
He said there were no injuries in both incidents.
The MRA arranged for them to sleep at a safe house in Wentworth, south of Durban for the night.
Naidoo said he was grateful to Patricia Dove, founder of the Wentworth Organisation of Women (WOW), for the assistance.
Naidoo said they also received assistance from the Forum of businesses in Merebank coordinated by Mario Anthony Joseph. The team is assisting with the clean up of the house.
The owner of the house, Poovendran Perumal Naicker, 64, said he was still recovering from the losses.
The Merebank Residents Association is assisting the family. Raven Naidoo and Yusuf Vawda +27 81 473-5272 (MRA) and Vincent of Navy Total Service Station +27 72 970 1000.
Daily News