IF IT was not for the kindness and generosity of neighbours, the Ntuli family of 16 said they would have spent Monday night in the cold on the streets.
The displaced family from Dunbar Road squatter camp in Mayville, Durban appealed to eThekwini Municipality for help to rebuild their two-roomed shack, which was ravaged by fire on Monday morning.
Khethiwe Ntuli (32) told Daily Sun that after the fire, they were wandering the streets and did not know where to go.
“By the grace of God, concerned neighbours divided us into groups and accommodated us in their houses.
“If they had not done that, we would have slept on the streets because we lost everything,” she said.
Khethiwe said they were woken up by the neighbours banging their door, shouting that the shack was ablaze.
“We all managed to escape unharmed but all our belongings burnt to ashes. We were running a spaza from one of the rooms of the shack. That has been our only source of income.”
Her brother, Nathi Ntuli (30), said all they needed from the municipality were new sheets of corrugated iron and planks so they could start their lives again.
eThekwini Minicipality’s deputy spokesman Mandla Nsele said: “An official response will be issued as soon as information is gathered.”