GEORGE NEWS - A mother and her four-year-old daughter lost all their belongings when a fire destroyed their home in the early hours of Monday morning, 21 May.
The fire broke out at about 03:00 and engulfed the home of Khanyisa Jobela (44) who lives alone with her daughter. The fire was allegedly caused by an electric short circuit. The devastated Jobela said she also lost important personal documents in the fire.
Her brother Mkhuseli Jobela, who lives nearby said he was awakened by screams. When he got up and saw the house was in flames, he hurried over, but there was nothing he could do. "According to my sister, the fire started in the bedroom. She heard the sound of electricity cables sparking and then the house was alight.
"All she could do was grab her daughter and run to safety. Nothing could be saved. They were left with only the pyjamas they were wearing," said Jobela.
George municipal officials who were on the scene said a temporary structure will be built for the family.
Jobela appealed to the community of George to help his sister and niece with any donations such as clothes and food items.
He can be contacted on 073 341 9620.
Khanyisa Jobela's house has to be demolished as it is unsafe after the fire. Photos: Zolani Sinxo
Idinga, a Group Editor's publication, reported on several similar fire incidents last year, most of which were caused by an electric short circuit.
On its website, Eskom urges the public to be more careful when using electricity and they list important safety measures that homeowners should adhere to:
- Appliances needing repairs or replacement should be attended to immediately.
- Do regular inspections of your electrical equipment at home and take precautions to ensure your safety. When doing an inspection, look out for breakages, wear/deterioration, signs of overheating, missing parts (screws, covers, switches), faulty appliance controls, doors and covers not closing smoothly or adequately, and loose fixtures or fittings.
- Test your appliances regularly - switch them on and off and look for possible problems or faulty connections.
Furniture and appliances were burned to ashes.
Plugs and electric sockets
Plugs are an essential part of our lives as we depend on electricity for almost everything we do, so it is important to know how to use plugs safely. Follow these guidelines:
- Look for the SABS sign and only use SABS approved plugs.
- Do not overload plugs - rather use an adaptor.
- Do not pull a plug by the cord.
- Switch the appliance off at the wall socket, before pulling the plug out.
- Do not connect electrical appliances to light sockets.
- Ensure that all wall sockets have their switches in the 'off' mode, when not in use.
- Never put bare wires into sockets.
- Do not stick fingers into sockets.
For more safety tips, visit www.eskom.co.za.
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