Help pours in after Bluff children's home fire
Some of the children at the St Monica's Children's Home in the Bluff are still traumatised with some struggling with nightmares after witnessing their cottage burn down during last week's fierce electrical storm in Durban.
Director of the home, Althea Daniels says she's thankful that the 84 children housed at the home escaped unharmed.
"The child care worker was alert and heard a loud noise and was able to evacuate all the children because we have drills very often. She was able to take all the children timeously and move them to another part of the property," she said.
The children have been receiving trauma counselling.
Since the incident, neighbouring oil refinery SAPREF have donated mattresses to the home while retailer Shoprite will be installing lightning conductors in all six cottages at the children's home.
Meanwhile, Umbilo police have opened a case of business robbery after the Durban Child and Youth Care Centre was broken into three times in one week with two of the burglaries happening in successive days.
The centre's management says children and caregivers were in the building when the robberies took place.
Manager Tina Hlophe says a microwave, schoolbags and even lunch prepared for the children were among the things taken.
"It's quite devastating because first of all, you need a really sick person to steal from a children's home and to even take the children's schoolbags. Most of the things we have are through donations. Some things are donated while other things we had to buy ourselves so it's a hard blow," she said.
A total of 83 children and youth are housed at the centre.
(Photos: Chanelle Lutchman)