Siyabonga Sithole
More than 23 shops and thousands in livelihoods hang in the balance following the recent fire to the Yeoville Market where scores of businesses eke out their daily living in the city of Johannesburg.
The fire that gutted the Yeoville Market on Tuesday night leaving local businesses shocked was not an act of arson from members of Operation Dudula as many have been led to believe. This is according to fashion designer, Ephraim Molingoane of Ephymol fame.
Half of #Yeoville market was on fire last night! Looks like foreigners in yeoville are not forgotten! #Ayikhale#ForeignersMustGo#PutSouthAficansFirst#OperationDudula#Dudulamovement pic.twitter.com/ReeLCqUMFj
— Nonnza da Southy ⚖🇷🇺 (@NonnzP) June 21, 2022
The designer who is a regular patron at Yeoville Market and a citizen of the former suburb took to social media where he told his followers that his barber had confirmed that the fire was due to a stove left on and unattended overnight.
"Unfortunately it is not the Dudula Movement. I personally spoke to one of people, my Nigerian barber who got a stall there and he told me that he was one of the first people to break down the doors to put the fire out and guess what... an electric stove was found to be the cause of the fire," the fashion designer tweeted on Wednesday.
Fire at Yeoville Market in JHB last night. pic.twitter.com/lkimpTASgc
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 21, 2022
According to the City of Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson, Nana Radebe-Kgiba the emergency services were called to investigate the fire at the Yeoville Market in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"EMS received the structural fire call from Yeoville Market at 00h27 on the 21st June 2022. Two fire engines and water tankers from Fairview and Malvern Fire Stations were dispatched and found part of the market engulfed with fire. Twenty three shops were affected and the preliminary investigation of the cause of fire could not be determined because of the extent of damage on the property", she said.
#yeoville market fire is proof that some citizens are plain stupid! Where are you going to buy veg & fruits tomorrow? Why burn a place that has kitchens using gas to cook? Plain stupidity and disgusting behaviour pic.twitter.com/Fz8z7ehnz7
— balemu (@BbeCupcake) June 20, 2022