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FIRE LEAVES FAMILY DESTITUTE

DESTRUCTION: Kgomotso Setagane of Motupa village in Limpopo helps her family erect a shack after their home was destroyed by a mysterious fire. PIC: Alex Matlala. 07/09/2009. © Sowetan.
DESTRUCTION: Kgomotso Setagane of Motupa village in Limpopo helps her family erect a shack after their home was destroyed by a mysterious fire. PIC: Alex Matlala. 07/09/2009. © Sowetan.

DISBELIEF was written on the faces of the Setagane family of Limpopo, whose house and groceries were burnt to ashes by a mysterious fire.

DISBELIEF was written on the faces of the Setagane family of Limpopo, whose house and groceries were burnt to ashes by a mysterious fire.

The once well-off family from Motupa village outside Tzaneen has now resorted to sleeping on the verandah of the burnt house without blankets and food.

This after the greater Tzaneen municipality, which promised to help them, failed to come to their rescue.

It is not unusual for the family to spend two to three days without food because all they had was lost in the mysterious fire.

House owner Agnes Setagane said the fire had also destroyed R6000 which they had saved to give the house a face-lift.

"We lost R6000 we had saved so that we could refurbish our home," she said.

Setagane said since the fire, their local councillor had visited the family several times and promised to help them rebuild their house or provide them with shelter, but this had not happened.

"The councilor brought a tent without rods. It has remained unused for the past two weeks.

"We have even asked a relative to erect a shack for my family so that we can at least have a roof over our heads until we are able to stand on our feet again.

"We ask the government or local businesspeople to help us rebuild our house. We desperately need a roof over our heads," Setagane said.

Eyewitness and family member Kgomotso Setagane said the fire started in a bedroom and quickly spread to the rest of the house.

"Before we knew it the whole house, including furniture and groceries, was burnt to the ground," she said.

Councillor Rylinah Maunatlala said yesterday: "The council is running out of tents because they are given to needy families in the area, but I will try and deliver one to the family soon."

Police said the damage to the house was estimated at R100000 excluding the R6000 that was lost in the fire.

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