Three orphans from Lotus Gardens, who were fast asleep, were woken in shock, after discovering that their home, was ablaze, in the early part of the morning.
The three brothers, Brandon, Daniel and Emmanuel Naidoo who, from a young age grew up orphaned with no family and very little support from the community, woke up to another tragedy, after finding their home filled with flames and smoke and everything they owned turning into ashes before their eyes. According to Emmanuel, he and his two brothers were first awoken by the screams of their neighbour shortly before 3am, the previous Friday morning. It was thankfully the desperate screams from their neighbour for them to quickly get out, that woke them and saved their lives, after finding their home on Barilla Crescent, Lotus Gardens, in Pretoria West, already engulfed in flames.
Emmanuel told the Laudium Sun, “The whole incident started when some Zulu guys came looking for things I knew absolutely nothing about, some property or goods they believed were hidden in our home. They thought I had them, but in reality, they were actually looking for my brother. They didn’t even know who he really was and the truth is he hadn’t done anything wrong and neither had I. We are just three brothers trying to survive in this life after losing both our parents at a young age. We grew up as orphans, depending only on each other for strength, love and survival. But those men, they didn’t care about the truth.
They stormed into our lives like a nightmare, accusing us of things we never even heard
about. They came to my house, our only shelter and the only place we called home, and they started causing chaos, shouting and threatening us as if we were criminals. I believe that they set our place on fire because they believed that we had taken their belongings. Flames started spreading, turning our belongings, our memories and every little thing we worked hard for, into smoke and ashes. I felt completely helpless. I wanted to fight for our home, but had to leave due to the intense heat. When we got outside, we found those same Zulu men waiting for me. They were violent and dangerous. They forced me into the boot of their car, and I heard them talking about taking me somewhere far, a place where I knew something terrible could happen. They planned to burn me alive, to end my life just because of something they imagined we had of theirs. The fear that rushed through my body is something I can never forget. Somehow, by the grace of God, I managed to escape before they reached wherever they were planning to take me. I ran with everything in me, running for my life, praying silently that my brothers were still safe. I am the witness to the entire horror, these same three Zulu guys who kidnapped me, were the ones who were rejoicing as our house burnt down completely, a place that held the only family I had left in this world. All our clothes, our documents, our food, every little thing we owned gone, just like that. We are three brothers, orphaned, alone and we work honestly just to survive. We never harmed anyone. We live peacefully with the community. But now, because of lies and anger from others, we have lost everything. We have no place to go. We are sleeping on the streets now, with no roof to protect us and no home to return to. The pain is unbearable. The fear still lives inside us. We are begging for help from the Laudium community and anyone with a heart who can help us rebuild our lives again. If anyone wishes to donate or support us with even the smallest things, clothing, food or anything to help us start again , please contact the Laudium Sun so that we can stand again. We are just brothers trying to survive. Please, we need your help.”
the Zulu guys set their house on fire.
Another of the brothers, Daniel, told the Laudium Sun, “We are literally ripped apart and we don’t know where to start or how to rebuild this so-called life. Everything has been shattered by those three Zulu guys who burned our house down without mercy. We are completely lost. We don’t even have clothes to wear, we don’t have food to eat, we don’t have a safe shelter to rest in. All we have now is the burnt shell of what used to be our home, four broken walls and nothing else left to hold on to. We were already suffering, living with the pain of growing up without parents. But we were trying our best. We worked hard every day just to survive. We never thought that one night, the only thing we had left, our house, would also be taken away. Now, when the sun sets, we have no place to go. We are sleeping outside like we don’t belong anywhere. We feel invisible and forgotten. It hurts deeply to realize that we have nobody to cry to, nobody to guide us just the three of us trying to stay strong for each other. We are begging the community, anyone with a heart, please, if you can help us start our life again, we would be forever grateful. Clothes, blankets, food, any kind of support, even the smallest thing will make a big difference for us. We don’t want to give up, but right now, we are broken and scared. Please help us stand again. We want to live, we want to rebuild, we just need someone to help us take the first step.”
anything, including clothes, blankets or food,
saying they need someone to help them take the first step to rebuild.