Huge damage was caused when a fire swept through the house of a teacher of Malamulele.

Ms Hilda Chauke, a teacher at Mavuyisa Primary School, is counting her losses after her house went up in flames and almost everything inside was lost. According to estimates, the loss is more than R500 000.

“I was coming from church when I found a lot of people watching my house burning,” said Chauke. The identity documents of her five children, books, laptop computers and other items were burnt to ashes. What surprised Chauke is that the fire seemed to have come from the bathroom. “When I went to church, I had switched off the lights and I do not know how the house happened to catch fire,” she said.

Malamulele Police spokesperson warrant officer Alson Mapindani confirmed the incident. He said an arson docket had been opened and investigations were going on.