Members of the Ratshilavhi family from Tshiozwi were left devastated after their nine-room luxury house and everything in it went up in flames on Monday, 30 October.

The incident happened at around 14:00. The owner of the house, Mr Takalani Ratshilavhi, said he could not believe his eyes when he saw his house burning. “My neighbours called me while I was at work and informed me that my house was on fire. I rushed home and, on arrival, the neighbours told me that they had heard an explosion, followed by a fire. They had already called the Makhado Fire Brigade, who responded very quickly, but the fire had unfortunately already caused severe damage. I felt like I was dreaming as I watched helplessly. This is the type of disaster that we see on television, far from us, but this time it was happening to our family! Luckily, no one was injured in the fire, and we have only God to thank for protecting us,” he said.

An electrical fault is suspected to have caused the fire.

Ratshilavhi said the roof and walls of the house were severely damaged, and everything inside was reduced to ashes. The damage to his property is estimated to be more than R1 million.

Ward Councillor Cedrick Malange said the municipality was going to assist the family through the disaster management unit. “Our disaster-management team has already assessed the damage, and I have asked community members to donate useful materials and food to the affected family,” he said.

The Makhado SAPS spokesperson, Sgt Tshifhiwa Radzilani, confirmed the incident and said the police had opened an inquest to determine how the fire had started.