Thokozani Mashego (32) and his younger brother (15) from Dobsonville in Soweto have been sleeping in a roofless house for almost a week. This is after their roofing was engulfed by fire on Sunday night after loadshedding. The brothers are now seeking help to rebuild their home to get their lives back to normal. 

STILL SHOOK

Speaking to ZiMoja, Thokozani who is unemployed said that he was sleeping when he was woken up by his brothers' scream for help. "It was around 10 pm at night and my brother was sleeping in his bedroom when he was woken up by smoke. By then the fire was traveling through the ceiling and that's when he got a chance to escape. He screamed and noticed that I wasn't responding because I was fast asleep. That's when he came to my bedroom which was filled with smoke to wake me up." Thokozani said they ran outside but decided to risk going back in. "We tried to extinguish the fire ourselves but the ceiling, which is PVC and plastic, had already fallen onto the bed. It was too late for us to do anything," he said. 

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE

Thokozani said the situation could have been worse and his brother could have been burnt in his sleep had he not woken up. "There was no electricity so I suspect that when it came back around 10pm, something happened with the wiring in the ceiling because that's when the fire started. My brother is still in shock and struggles to breathe when his mind plays flashbacks, "We are grateful to be alive. We are also grateful to our neighbours and fire brigades who swiftly assisted us although the damage has already been done. Thokozani said the whole house burnt, their clothes, uniform, school books, and important documents all got ruined in the fire. "We basically have nothing, our parents died a while back and I've been taking care of my brother with the help of my uncles from time to time. For now, all we ask for is help to re-install the roof and windows so we can get through the cold and rainy nights." Social Development spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said:,"A disaster management team will visit the house to further assess the damage caused by the blaze. The community tried their best to assist the family,"