It has been about two weeks since Sea Point resident Thozama Adonisi lost everything when a fire gutted her flat.
Ms Adonisi, who lives at the flat with her 14-year old daughter, Utimna, came home from work on Sunday February 5 to find that everything she owned had been destroyed.
Since then she has been staying with friends, sometimes in Langa, sometimes in Sea Point. It has been a stressful time for her and her daughter.
Her daughter was at home when the fire started.
“I was in the shower. My friend had just left and locked the door. There were no appliances on and we don’t smoke in the house. Everything was fine and it was normal but something started the fire. I couldn’t breath and it was very dark,” said Utimna. She said people with fire extinguishers arrived but they were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
“It was very scary and everything was filled with smoke,” she said.
Ms Adonisi added: “I was at work and when I came home I was shocked. Everything was just destroyed by the fire. There was nothing left and I couldn’t believe it.”
Ms Adonisi, who is a nurse and a member of the Reclaim the City campaign, said it was a very difficult time for her and her daughter and that among the things destroyed were campaign documents. “I don’t even have a bed to sleep on, clothes, I don’t have anything. I got a TV from someone as a present in December and I put it on the wall. I didn’t even get to use it.”
While the room was insured, this insurance didn’t cover the contents of the room or any of Ms Adonisi’s belongings.
She said she had been living in the same flat for the past 15 years and hoped to at least move back into after the landlord fixed the door and windows that were damaged.
“Luckily my room is the only one on the floor, otherwise there would have been other rooms affected. If the community can help me to buy the furniture that I had, I would be very glad. It is very difficult to replace things you did have. Luckily my ID and bank card were with me.”
Jared Rossouw, co-director of activist organisation and law centre, Ndifuna Ukwazi, said anyone who wanted to make donations could drop them off at their offices at 18 Roeland Street or call them at 021 012 5094 .