Bongo Dlamini – 05 August 2008
I came here in 2006 from Maritzburg. I’m not working. I was started a small business here – a Cell-C public phone, my friend lent me. It was burnt in the fire. It’s more harder than before. I haven’t got a house now and I haven’t got a job.
I wasn’t home [when the fire started], I was out taking my CV to a factory there looking for a job. They phoned me, telling me the house was getting burnt, come quick, it was 5 to 9 the time they call me, by 9 o’ clock I came to this side, by the time it was up to this road I say it was getting burnt, by the time I got to the house was already burnt, it was just a small fire at that time. The fire brigade came after I came here.
Some of the guys took the things but it so hot most of the things got fired by the fire I ask the people who was around at the time my house started to burn they said the fire started in the forest so just come to my house and started to burn.
Most of the things they took it and it was a bed it got burnt but not so much. My clothes got burnt because they was inside the wardrobe and they couldn’t afford to take it out because the fire was so much. I was having a radio and DVD – it was bed and TV came out. They can’t afford to take the others. Those two tins was the paint for the banners. All the marches we was using those.
It got burnt last week, it was Thursday. I’m staying with one of my friends. I think I have to rebuild my house but I must get the materials.
There’s no-one come for the MEC or the Councillor.
The main reason of shack are getting burnt most of the fires it’s the use of the candles because we haven’t got electricity and we are burning paraffin stoves.
The other thing are it’s the weather like this – it’s the winter when some people are making fires and they are cooking fires, fire to keep warm, and burning grass, then these grass are getting burnt closer to the shacks.
Two houses [before] get burnt with a candle. Then we found it and just put water. There are two taps at the bottom.
I think the MEC what they can do, they can try to put fire hose pipes next to toilet. When we have a try to cut trees and grass closer to the shacks if trees and grass closer to shacks and anyone can burnt it and it are causing damage. If they try to clear the paths where we stay closer to the houses I think it will solve this problem.
If myself I can say the shacks must be built apart from the other, because if it build closer it will burn easily if one shack is burning 10 to 20 shacks will burn.
There is nothing I can say. They guys from the fire brigade came and took my number, they never phone me. Even the police came; they just ask has anyone killed and if just I live here or is anyone else staying here. MEC or Dept of Housing they don’t care about people who are staying in shacks. Its 5 days now my house got burnt there was not even one call but they took my number. I don’t know why they take my number and I never get even one thing from disaster management.
It makes me to feel that they don’t care about the people staying in shacks or their shacks get burnt. If I can say that maybe they are happy that the shacks get burnt. What makes me to think like this – this happen but not even one person came from MEC or disaster management. We don’t know who burned the forest, they speed to come to stop it. They never did that. They just took some pictures to show that it started there first.
The MEC wouldn’t care of us, however the councillor doesn’t want us here, he said that in the meeting that was nearly two years ago.
He saying we not stay here – not suitable – must take us away, this place for Govender – its not for us. But our research shows MEC owns it, all this place.
I think Govender has lot of money maybe just bribed to the Councillor to give over this place- he want to build some flats, he wants them, the people that stay here out of Motala. This place is for the rich Indians, its only blacks who are staying here – he doesn’t want the black people to stay here.
Bongo Dlamini told his story to Matt Birkinshaw