The burning of another historic Mthatha building at the weekend has not only left businesses counting millions of rand in damaged stock, but has added to the already high unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape as about 50 people will be without jobs.
The building housing the Umtata Pharmacy and Lillian Bedding in York Road was gutted by fire at about 8pm on Friday.
It was estimated to have been built more than 70 years ago.
The stores’ owners, managers and staffers watched in shock as the raging fire reduced the stock to ashes while firefighters tried to battle the inferno.
Owners of the neighbouring stores, mostly being shops selling cellphones, bedding and electrical appliances, tried to remove their goods, fearing that the fire might spread.
It was not clear what caused the fire.
Firefighters battled the blaze as tenants collected what possessions they could from the building.
Police had their hands full trying to prevent a group of about 100 people from looting the stores.
Firefighters battled the fire the whole night, but they could not save anything.
Umtata Pharmacy manager Simlindile Gxasheka said it was a devastating sight.
“I got a call at about 7.40pm,” he said.
The fire was seen by passers-by on an air ventilator, meaning that the fire was on the roof. We are not sure where the fire started
“The fire was seen by passers-by on an air ventilator, meaning that the fire was on the roof. We are not sure where the fire started.
“We have no fire-breaker wall and we share the ceiling with Lillian Beddings, though there is a concrete wall separating the two businesses.
“Everything has been burnt to ashes. The loss in the pharmacy is estimated to be millions of rand.”
A historical aspect of the pharmacy is that it was the building where former president Nelson Mandela narrowly escaped injury in December 1998 from a tornado that killed 14 people in the town.
The then 80-year-old statesman was in the pharmacy to buy his special Oleum soap when the tornado hit Mthatha.
He was told to lie on the floor by his bodyguards, who then covered him with their bodies to protect him while the tornado raged.
The pharmacy is owned by the Sondelani Group of Pharmacies.
The Lillian Beddings business is co-owned by Yohans Tessema.
“Everything is reduced to ashes. We had just bought new stock this week and all is now up in flames. I don’t know what we are going to do,” Tessema said.
This is the third historic building to be burnt since 2021.
The top floor of the iconic Transkei Hotel in Elliot Steet caught fire on March 12 2021.
A few months later, on July 28, the Grosvenor Hotel building on the corner of Sutherland and Madeira Street was razed by fire.
On May 30 this year, the Jimmy SuperSPAR in Sutherland Street was partially burnt.
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