S’phamandla Ngubane stands in one of the burned rooms. Photo by Siyabonga Simelane. ~
THE Ngubanes fear for their lives after a mystery fire struck twice in the same week.
On Sunday an outside room at their home was burnt and on Tuesday fires started in two bedrooms.
Members of the family told Daily Sun they believe they are victims of jealousy because of their growing catering business.
Nomthandazo Ngubane (37) from Shongweni Dam, west of Durban, said the trouble started in July after her dressing gown went missing and she started getting threatening phone calls from a private number.
She said the caller told her to close the family business or something horrible would happen to her. The person would sometimes ask her whether she knew where her gown was.
“I told my husband about the calls. We both agreed not to go to the police because we believed the calls were coming from business rivals or maybe jealous family members,” she said.
On Sunday they noticed smoke coming from their outside room.
When they went to check they saw flames coming out of the windows and a door.
“Everything in the room was burned to ashes. We could not put out the fire because the flames were too high,” she said.
On Tuesday two bedrooms in the main house went up in flames and everything inside them was burned. Thandazile’s husband, S’phamandla (43), said they feared the fire would return to burn down the entire house.
Sazi Mhlongo, the president of the South African Traditional Healers’ Association, said the family was haunted by vutha.
“They must get strong muthi to beat vutha or they will lose everything,” he said.
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