The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
While the rest of Zimbabwe celebrated Heroes and Defence Forces holidays last week, Mr Washington Vambe of Hillside, Harare, was counting his losses.
His nine-room house was razed in a mysterious inferno that destroyed all his property, leaving the family with nothing to salvage.
Mr Vambe was still in shock when The Sunday Mail visited him last Thursday.
“We received toothbrushes and toothpaste from a well-wisher only this morning,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “We could not get anything out of the house. Every piece of furniture and clothing – everything – was destroyed in that fire.”
Mr Vambe and his family attended a wedding in Kwekwe on August 12 and went on to celebrate the holidays with their relatives in Harare’s Mufakose suburb later that day.
On Monday, he asked his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who had remained in Hillside, to drive one of his vehicles to Mufakose.
He received a call from a neighbour at around 5pm. It was far from good news.
“When I received the call, I did not imagine I would find something of that magnitude. That is why I broke down when I got home. I bought the house in 2003 and worked hard to make it a proper home. Now it has been reduced to a shell, and we have moved into the cottage.
“I have children who need to go back to school, but I have nothing. We are appealing for assistance from anyone who can assist with clothes, blankets, food and money.”
Mr Vambe suspects an electrical fault ignited the fire.
“According to WhatsApp messages that circulated on the day, power supplies in the area had been cut for about 10 minutes, and that is the time the fire is believed to have started.”
Zesa Holdings spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said: “We are still investigating the issue. It was, indeed, a very unfortunate incident. We urge our customers to have their electricity wiring checked and inspected at least every five years. We also urge them to avoid overloading the circuit by connecting unauthorised buildings.”
A neighbour told this paper: “Although the Fire Brigade responded quickly, they were not prepared. They spent most of the time looking for fire hydrants and connecting hoses which did not fit properly.”
Well-wishers can contact Mr Vambe on cellphone numbers +263776188652 and +263735972449
