Heartless skelms took advantage of a fire to steal from an unsuspecting family as their Manenberg home went up in flames over the weekend.
Ouma Linda Hendricks, 85, says the fire broke out on Sunday shortly after noon, but she has no idea how the blaze started.
“I was at home with my daughter and my grandson when we saw a lot of smoke. But I don’t understand because nothing was on. My daughter made food in the morning already.”
Her daughter, Audrey le Hane, says five adults and three children live on the property.
She explains while the fire started in the ouma’s room in the main house, a smaller dwelling in the backyard where she lives was not damaged.
Two bedrooms, the kitchen and the bathroom of the main house were destroyed and the blaze caused the roof to collapse.
Audrey says she was at the shop when she saw the smoke and “ran like a mad woman” to get to her mother and sister.
“There were a lot of people who came to help. Only later when we came to the back we saw someone had stolen my kettle, toaster, microwave and even the snackwich maker. How can people do this while we were fighting to save my mother’s house. It is heartbreaking.”
City Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Theo Layne, says: “There were no fatalities or injuries and at this stage the cause is undetermined.”
The family needs donations of school clothes, clothes for the ouma and other goods.
If you would like to help, call Audrey le Hane on 079 863 2043.