A woman was lucky to escape with her life, when arsonists set two huts on fire near Shadani last week. The huts belong to Chief Thifhumuli Mundalamo of Tshitavha.

Ms Ndivhoniswani Mundalamo still cannot understand how she flew out of the hut to save her life. One of the huts contained a community tent and 250 chairs that were bought through household contributions. The tent and chairs were used for community events like funerals and parties.Three wooden traditional dance drums, belonging to the community, were also destroyed in the arson attack. The damage is estimated at R50 000.

After setting the two huts on fire, the arsonists went further to torch another thatched hut of villager Azwinndini Ndou.

Chief Mundalamo said he could not understand the motive of the arson attack as he had no enemies. "These people have caused great damage to my villagers. I don’t know what type of people they are who don’t have the interests of the community at heart. This is a major setback to the community because the perpetrators destroyed property that also benefited them. How on earth can something like this happen when we are preaching community development on a daily basis?"

Chief Mundalamo says the other burnt hut contained two gearboxes, two motor tops, a generator, a wardrobe, a bed, four chairs and kitchen utensils. "I have never seen such a cruel thing in my life. If there is something wrong, it is better for these people to come and talk with me rather than destroy the property that belongs to me and the community. This is cowardice at its worst because brave people come forward to voice out their concerns."

Ndivhoniswani Mundalamo, who was sleeping in one of the huts during the arson attack, said: "It was in the early hours of Monday morning when I woke up to conduct a prayer as I always did. When I was busy praying, I saw a big light outside and when I got up from my bed, I realized that the hut I was sleeping in was on fire. I don’t know how I got the courage to rush outside, but I just found myself standing outside."

She says there were a lot of people within a short space of time. "The whole yard was full of people in just a few minutes. The fire was so fierce that we could only watch as the two huts and their contents were destroyed by the fire. I am still shocked by the incident and my heart bleeds when I think about it. I thank God for saving my life because I would have burnt to death."

Insp Mashudu Madida confirmed that the Makuya police are investigating the arson attacks. "Our investigations are nearing completion and we will make some arrests soon," he said.