A Mitchells Plain family of six has been living in the garage of their gutted home since their house burnt out.
Kashief Brenton, 54, his wife, elderly uncle and three sons are currently living huddled in very cramped conditions on the property in Rocklands.
Kashief says he’s struggled to rebuild the house as he was obliged to use his last savings to replace the roof and tiles of his neighbour’s semi-detached house.
Kashief says the fire was accidentally caused by his 74-year-old uncle who was smoking an entjie around 2am while everyone was sleeping.
The family had to move into the garage of their home, which wasn’t affected by the fire, in November 2019.
“We made the garage comfortable for us because we have no other choice,” says Kashief.
The structure is partitioned into two sections, both bedrooms.
The one room has a makeshift toilet and there is a big basin used as both a kitchen sink and bathroom basin.
The father of four says he and his son are the breadwinners in their home.
His youngest son is in matric and he sadly admits he is lucky that his son isn’t having a matric ball, due to the pandemic, because he wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Kashief is appealing to people to assist with building material, rather than money, to help rebuild their home: “It’s not nice to have to ask people, but we are struggling to recover.
“We have to rebuild our entire house but we are having difficulty getting back on our feet.
“My son and I work hard to try and put food on the table, we would love to be back in our house.”
If would like to assist Kashief and his family, call him on 081 521 5955.