A plume of black smoke that bellowed into the sky, filling parts of Blairgowrie in Randburg, came from a dilapidated house in the heart of the suburb. It is home to dozens of residents.
On Tuesday many of the residents found themselves in a dilemma when the place they called home for more than five years caught alight and was almost completely destroyed.
The blaze started at a pile of stacked tyres packed in the backyard, next to several cars in the yard, near what used to be the property's swimming pool. The property doesn't have running water or electricity.
At least 30 people reside in the double garage. Others occupied the rooms in the house and the cottage.
Those who were not lucky enough to find a spot in the house, cottage or garage sleep outside in the yard. Others occupy places under the trees, with just blankets to keep warm.
Fire Ops South Africa responded to the scene of the fire on Tuesday morning.
Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium after the blaze, some residents said they paid a monthly rent of about R400, depending on how much they could afford on that particular month, to a man they say is the "caretaker" of the house.
The tenants claimed the caretaker started the blaze accidentally when he allegedly threw a cigarette butt on a stack of tyres surrounded by motor oil. The caretaker allegedly fled when the fire started.
We don't know the landlord. We only know the caretaker who collects rent. There are so many people from Lesotho and Zimbabwe who stay here ... If you go to the garage, I think about 30 people sleep there. The number could be 100 or more [on the entire property]
— Precious Mphathi, resident
Fire Ops South Africa battalion chief Rudi Swanepoel said they found tyres burning at the back of the house, when the fire was already raging.
"We saved the house from burning and quickly had the fire under control. We evacuated them [residents] safely and there are no injuries," he said.
One resident, Precious Mphathi, a 31-year-old mother of two, is originally from Bethlehem in the Free State. She has been staying in the cottage on the property for more than four years with her boyfriend.
Mphathi said the caretaker, who is believed to be a Zimbabwean, arrived early in the morning with another tenant and started looking around the property for space, but found none.
The caretaker started cleaning close to the tyres with the intention of building a shack for the incoming tenant, she said.
"He goes around promising people accommodation, and it seems like [he had taken] the man's R400 and promised that he would give him a room. When he arrived there was no space left," said Mphathi.
It was during the process of cleaning that the fire began, she said.
"There were oils because there is also a mechanic here who fixes cars inside the yard."
She had been asleep when the fire started. The residents came together and tried to douse the flames. It was difficult as the fire threatened to spread to other parts of the yard, she said.
Commenting on the ownership of the house, Mphathi said: "We don't know the landlord. We only know the caretaker who collects rent. There are so many people from Lesotho and Zimbabwe who stay here ... If you go to the garage, I think about 30 people sleep there. The number could be 100 or more [on the entire property]."
She added the caretaker collects money from dwellers, is always recruiting people to live on the property and claims that a portion of rent has to be paid to a police official.
"People are always flocking here. Some stay for a while and then leave. Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you will just see people sleeping under the tree, taking their blankets and leaving the yard."
Despite being in suburban Joburg, life on the property is tough, she said.
"There is no tap water. We used to get water by the gate, but he [the caretaker] has sold [the tap]."
Asked about how much she pays for rent, she replied: "I pay R300 or R400, depending on how much I have that month."
Another resident, Zindiswa Kgamoliko, 26, from Lesotho, said he moved to the property in 2019. He said at the time he had visited his brother and when he passed away he continued to stay, paying monthly rent.
A hawker at the Randburg taxi rank, Kgamoliko also blamed the caretaker for the condition of the property.
"He said he pays a police officer some of the money. We asked him to bring the police to us so that we would know when to pay rent and how much is expected of us. We don't have electricity, and we collect water at the taxi rank," he said.
Another resident, who only wanted to be known by her first name, Lindiwe, said it all started a few years ago when the owner of the house died and left the house to his children.
The man now known as the caretaker was the gardener, she said, adding that the children of the owner allegedly started doing drugs and disappeared.
"He worked for the family for a long time. They left him with the house when they disappeared," she said.
Lindiwe said the alleged caretaker was without documentation, like many of those who live on the property.
TimesLIVE Premium did not get an opportunity to speak to the alleged caretaker as he had not returned to the house following the blaze.
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