THE deadly fire killed their colleagues and they stayed in hospital for two months.
But yesterday, two firefighters who survived the deadly Bank of Lisbon building fire in the Joburg CBD that killed three of their colleagues were discharged from Milpark Hospital.
They were among scores of firefighters sent to the building on 5 September after a fire broke out.
The building housed the government departments of human settlement, health as well as co-operative governance and traditional affairs.
Moleko Bereng and Livhuwani Maumela said they were looking forward to going home and spending time with their families.
“I miss being home with my wife and children,” said Moleko.
“All I want is to see where our friends and colleagues were buried. We weren’t able to go to the memorial services or attend their funerals,” said Livhuwani.
Moleko and Livhuwani shared the trauma they experienced in the first weeks of their hospital stay.
Moleko said: “The first three weeks were tough. I had flashbacks. The nurses would explain to me that I was shaking.”
The two men had several surgical procedures, including skin grafts two weeks ago. “We had to wait for 14 days before exposing our hands. The process was very tough.”
Livhuwani said: “The first week here was painful. I wasn’t coping. I was stressed that my hands wouldn’t work anymore. But now I can see progress.”
He said they leaned on each other for support.
