A raging fire, detected on Monday (05/12) at around 18:25, destroyed the building commonly known as China City situated in Fichardt Street, Bloemfontein.
Business tenants at the fire-gutted Samsons Building in the Bloemfontein central business district argue some of their goods could have been salvaged if authorities had allowed them access to rescue stock on the ground floor.
Devasted tenants lamented their losses in stock worth millions of rands, and they are not certain they will ever get any compensation.
They stood outside watching helplessly while the fire department of the Mangaung Metro Municipality battled the blaze overnight.
Affected tenants have been trading from the now destroyed building for anywhere from five years to a decade. The fire has affected small business owners and customers alike – especially those who lay-bye goods.
One of the tenants expressed his disbelief with what they experienced as the authorities’ lack of understanding regarding why they wanted to access the building before the fire escalated.
“There were explosive items, petrol generators, gas cylinders, solar batteries, and flammable items such as spirits. We were trying to take out all these items to avoid extensive damage. As owners, we knew exactly where these items were placed. Unfortunately, the authorities denied us access.”
Qondile Khedama, spokesperson for the Mangaung Metro, lamented the disruption in trying to ensure everyone on the scene’s safety by what appeared to be a looting incident.
“Shop owners, predominately foreign nationals, were making it difficult for our firefighters. The police were called to assist,” he said.
Khedama confirmed the destroyed property belongs to the Georgiou family.
Another tenant lamented the fact that due to loadshedding, using petrol generators and gas cylinders was unavoidable.
The affected small businesses range from cellphone dealers to clothing stores and stores selling building materials or household furniture.
“I set up this business 15 years ago, and it was destroyed overnight,” said a tenant.
The fire has destroyed the livelihoods of owners and workers.
“Being a foreigner, I created jobs for about ten South African citizens, I now don’t have a business and money to pay them,” said another tenant.
This is the third building gutted by fire following two buildings three weeks ago in Miriam Makeba Street. They include the Bloemfontein Club, headquarters of the defunct Bloemfontein Celtic football club.
