Update
RHEENENDAL NEWS - All that remains are the remnants of what used to be their home.
A family of five lost everything when a fire destroyed their double-storey home in the early hours of Saturday 10 October. Shahied Botha (42), his wife, Sue-Lynn (40), and their children, Kurlyn (19), Rashied (17) and Shaday (12), escaped unharmed.
The close-knit community quickly rallied behind them, establishing a fund to assist with immediate needs and help them rebuild.
The blaze has also reignited concerns about firefighting resources in Rheenendal, following a Knysna-Plett Herald report two days earlier about a fire engine unveiled during the opening of the Rheenendal e-centre in June. Residents questioned the vehicle’s absence amid reports that a fire engine had allegedly been destroyed on a service provider’s premises. The municipality previously disputed the information contained in the enquiry, describing it as “not factually correct”.
‘They built their home from the ground up’
Jolene Cassim, a family friend of 15 years, described the loss as heartbreaking, saying the couple had worked tirelessly to build their home themselves. “You would hear Shahied working through the night. The next morning, you would see another room had been built or a new extension completed,” she said. Cassim praised the community’s response and said the family was deeply grateful for the support. She believes a fire engine stationed permanently in Rheenendal might have helped save at least the ground floor.
Municipality clarifies fire-engine status
Knysna Municipality said the fire was reported at 04:20, and the first municipal fire engine arrived at about 04:40. A water tanker, skid unit and four firefighters were also deployed. PG Bison’s fire engine, dispatched by the property owner’s employer, reportedly arrived first. The municipality said the cause remains undetermined, and no injuries were reported.
Communications officer Nwabisa Pondoyi confirmed that fire engine CX59870, funded by the Western Cape Government and not allocated to Rheenendal, was destroyed in a fire at the service provider’s premises on 1 August after it had been returned for workmanship defect rectifications.
She stressed that this was a separate vehicle from the one intended for Rheenendal. The latter is currently stationed at Jood-se-Kamp while repairs are carried out to the fire engine normally based there. It will be reassigned to Rheenendal once repairs are complete, Pondoyi said.
The municipality said the first engine arrived within the 20-minute travel allowance specified in SANS 10090:2003 for Category D incidents.
It added that providing a 24-hour fire service in Rheenendal remained a priority. The family is receiving assistance from the municipality’s Human Settlements Department and Disaster Management.
Read previous article:
Municipality clarifies status of Rheenendal fire truck
Municipality clarifies status of Rheenendal fire truck
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