Koster – A family run business was decimated when a fire broke out in a building housing several of their businesses.
The fire broke out during shopping hours on 9 May. Ahmed Suliman Haffajee, son of one of the owners, was out on errands when he got a call from his cousin that a fire had broken out in the area of the business.
“Rushing back, I noticed the smoke rising into the air. When I got back it was blazing. The fire started in the far-left side of the corner.”
Inefficiency of the fire department
According to Suliman Haffajee, onlookers tried to call the fire department, but they were unresponsive. Eventually, someone had to drive to the station to alert them about the fire.
“They called them [fire brigade]. They never answered their phones. Somebody drove to the fire brigade to let them know that there was a fire, and we need assistance. They came quickly I must say. Within a few minutes they were here. They started getting their equipment ready, sprayed a bit of water and then [said] ‘sorry we don’t have any water’.
Muhammed Abu Bakr, the owner of one of the businesses, backs up Suliman Haffajee’s claims about the fire department arriving early but coming under prepared. Although two fire trucks were dispatched, both only dispensed water for a few minutes before running empty.
“It was a matter of two minutes or slightly more that the hoses spurted water and it was finished. They ran out of water. The second one ran for between five and ten minutes. In that time the fire was raging out of control, but their response was absolutely pathetic. It was negligence.”
According to Abu Bakr, video footage shows the community bringing buckets of water and JoJo tanks to try and fill the tanks of the fire trucks. This was after the fire department tried to connect to the hydrant but that proved unsuccessful.
“The fire department tried to connect to the fire hydrant which is in the centre of the township. Apparently they could not get it connected because the fitting [was] broken or something. All I can remember is somebody trying to put a tire or something to the tube, wrapping it around in order to get it functional. It overall boils down to complete inefficiency incompetency and negligence.”
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The loss of the shop is a huge loss to the community
Family run shops are somewhat seen as the backbone of small towns. This is the same for the Haffajee run shop. Suliman Haffajee expressed the grief and heartfelt condolences he has received from farmers and regular customers alike after the terrible tragedy.
“Koster is a small town. There are tears in their [customers] eyes when they hear about the fire. They say, ‘what are we going to do now?’. This business has been one that is well known all over Koster between the farmers and between the residents. It’s a major setback for everybody.”
The shops provided the community with everything that they needed, whether it was hardware, groceries or electronics. They stocked a variety of goods from different categories to serve the needs of the entire community.
At the moment there are no plans to start rebuilding the business. At the moment Abu Bakr believes it would be very costly to rebuild everything from scratch given the state of the economy.
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The next step
The family is in consultation with lawyers to determine if they have a case against the municipality. The business has been a staple in the town, and they feel let down by the inefficiency of the fire brigade to control and douse the flames.
Abu Bakr was the only member of the family who sustained injuries. He suffered burn injuries to his hand and face while trying to switch off the DB box when the fire occurred. Ahmed Suliman Haffajee spoke with Julie Allie about witnessing his family’s lifelong business in flames.
