By Thokozani Mazibuko
A mysterious fire damaged about 15 offices on the second floor of Bhunu Mall, leaving over 30 people jobless. The cause of the fire is still unknown as investigations continue.
Most retail outlets on the first floor of the building were closed yesterday while the police and technical teams conducted investigations following a fire at the Bhunu Mall. Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) mentioned that they received information about the fire from the public on Sunday night.
She appreciated the nation for its vigilance and whistleblowing abilities while encouraging members of the members of the public to continue working cooperatively with the law enforcement agency.
She said the police responded promptly to the call and alongside the Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services, they made sure that the fire was contained and property was preserved.
She pointed out that they have since launched extensive investigations to ascertain the cause of the mysterious fire.
“For now what we have gathered was that there was no foreign object found within the building, suggesting that the fire might have been caused by an external source but instead, it seems the fire started from within the mall.
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We urge the public to be at ease and not be overwhelmed by unrealistic insinuations, given that we all know that as a country we are fresh from the political unrest, which left many dumbfounded in different ways and as such, people might be under the impression that the fire came as a result of an arson attack, yet it did not,” she said.
She pointed out that they will continue with their investigations in collaboration with different stakeholders such as Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services and engineers and they will notify the public about the outcome of the investigation in due course.
Lombuso Dlamini, the Bhunu Mall Board Chairman said the damages caused by the fire in terms of monetary terms and otherwise has still not yet been quantified.
She said the relevant teams were yet to assess the damages caused by the fire.
“I am not at this point in a position to disclose the value of the damages caused by the fire,” she said.
She said the police were still going to investigate where the fire emanated from within the building as well as its initial cause.
The fire damaged only the second-floor offices of the building, sparing most of the first-floor retail stores. However, some retail outlets on the first floor were also affected when the fire travelled through electrical pipes from the second floor.
She pointed out that most of the shops which were not affected by the fire were closed yesterday because it was difficult for them to resume operations without receiving a go-ahead signal from the technical teams, which were on the ground conducting assessments such as engineers, Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services and health and safety officers amongst others.
“Again, I am not in a position at this point to disclose when normal operations will resume, however, we will not commence with full operations without the authorisation of the technical teams,” she said.
When asked if the business people who incurred damages will be compensated for their loss, she said such details should be communicated once the final report concerning the fire outbreak has been released.
Meanwhile, Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services Communication Officer Mandla Dlamini has rubbished allegations that one of their fire trucks had a faulty generator resulting in the fire that broke out at the Bhunu Mall not being contained timeously.
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This comes after allegations were rife on social media that the Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services were allegedly notified by a security guard that a fire had broken out at the Bhunu Mall after seeing smoke emanating from the second floor at around 8 pm.
According to the allegations, upon arrival, Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services personnel discovered that the generator of their truck was faulty and they watched helplessly as the fire ravaged the building until the situation was saved by operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) personnel around midnight.
According to Dlamini such allegations were far from the truth.
He mentioned that they received a call that the Bhunu Mall was up in smoke and they responded promptly.
He said upon arrival the firefighters worked tirelessly in putting out the fire and they did not receive any information that any of their trucks developed mechanical faults during such period.
He said all of them (trucks) were deployed to the building and only one was left on standby.
“We know that judging from the number of trucks that were spotted outside the building, social media went abuzz with allegations that there were few fires on site,
yet a sizeable number of them were inside the building trying to contain the fire from spreading to another floor, hence the floor was spared from the fire,” he said.
Minister, AT shocked by incident
The Minister of Commerce Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo toured the Bhunu Mall yesterday alongside the Managing Director of Tibiyo TakaNgwane, Dr. Absalom Themba Dlamini, to grasp the full scope of the situation, to enable the government to provide the necessary support and assistance to those affected.
According to Khumalo yesterday morning, alongside the esteemed Managing Director of Tibiyo TakaNgwane, Dr. Dlamini, they embarked on a tour of Bhunu Mall in Manzini, with the primary objective of assessing the damage caused by a devastating fire that engulfed the mall in the early hours of yesterday.
He said as representatives of the ministry, the government, and key stakeholders in Bhunu Mall, including Tibiyo TakaNgwane and Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF), they were at the mall to gain a comprehensive understanding of the extent of the damage inflicted by the fire.
He said the aforementioned stakeholders needed to grasp the full scope of the situation, enabling them to provide the necessary support and assistance to those affected.
“At present, the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, with the dedicated efforts of the Royal Eswatini Police Service and the Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services.
We eagerly await their report, which will shed light on the root cause and help us prevent such unfortunate incidents in the future,” the minister said.
The minister said, unfortunately, initial assessments indicate significant damage to the Bhunu Mall.
“We acknowledge the impact this has had on the businesses housed within the mall and the broader community.
Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this tragic event, and we extend our deepest sympathies to each and every one of you,” Khumalo said.
Khumalo said rehabilitating Bhunu Mall and restoring it to its former glory was of utmost importance to the ministry.
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“We understand the vital role this commercial hub plays in the local economy, providing employment opportunities and invaluable services to the community.
We are committed to working closely with all stakeholders involved to expedite the rehabilitation process, ensuring that the affected businesses can resume their operations as soon as possible,” the minister said.
“Once again, our thoughts remain with those affected by this unfortunate incident.
We stand united in our commitment to rebuilding and revitalising Bhunu Mall, creating a stronger and more resilient foundation for the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Dr Dlamini, they were all shocked by the incident.
“We are keen to know what happened, was the fire started by an electrical fault or what? This is what we want to know before we can make any comment,” he said.
