KENNETH Jaceni is lucky to be alive after a fire that started in his neighbour’s shack ate his house.
When the SunTeam visited the 33-year-old after the tragedy in November, he had lost everything but Good Samaritans have since come to his rescue.
Kenneth from Pholazi squatter camp in Delft, Cape Town, has managed to rebuild his shack with help from well-wishers, who also bought him furniture, blankets and clothes.
“I’m grateful that I will have Christmas in a warm home.
“At the time of the fire, I lost everything and I was hopeless but because of people with warm hearts, I’m now sitting on beautiful chairs that are better than what I had before.”
Sangoma Phindile Mtonga and his friends collected money to help Kenneth.
“We thought as izangoma we couldn’t be healing people but ignore them when they need us.
“We collected money and bought blankets, clothes, furniture and food.
“We just wanted to put a smile on his face,” he said.
Kenneth said he was lucky to escape the fire unharmed as his neighbour was hospitalised with burn wounds.
He said he was sleeping on 24 November when he heard his neighbour, who is in her 50s, coughing.
“I ignored it and fell asleep again but within minutes, I heard people calling my name and saying my shack was on fire,” he said.
“I ran to the door but it was locked, so I had to find the keys before I could run outside.”
Kenneth said he suspected his neighbour fell asleep with a candle burning.
