Couple tormented by mysterious fire

A Francistown couple Tanyala Motswakae (51) and Boy Motswakae (71) residing in Monarch has vowed never to abandon its yard despite a mysterious fire which has left it destitute.

The mysterious fire is allegedly triggered by any household furniture or clothes that are heaped together. A visit to the yard revealed a heap of burnt clothes; blankets and metal remains of a tent. The family woes started on August 23, 2014 when Tanyala had gone to compete at the annual President’s Music competitions.

When she left for the competitions she had sewn 16 school uniforms to deliver to Monarch primary school the next day. On the fateful day of the first fire, she arrived home at 6pm and after preparing supper for her children, asked for an empty box from her neighbour.

“In less than two minutes upon entering the neighbour’s yard my children were screaming that our house was fire. When I retraced my steps back home, I discovered that the fire had consumed everything within the blink of an eye.” As for the cause, the family suspected it could’ve been one of the children but hade no proof.

Francistown City Council social workers helped the family by providing them with food and clothes. On August 22, 2015 during the President’s Music competitions which she did not attend, the mysterious fires were back once again leaving her destitute for the second time.

During that attack, she had gone to a school where she has volunteered to help children living with disabilities. She heard the siren of a fire fighting vehicle as it sped to the fire but could not link it with her house, but suddenly her sixth sense told her to go home and on the way learnt from her neighbour that her house had caught fire. She fainted only to later regain consciousness at Jubilee Clinic.

Her husband, Boy, a security guard says he lost the new furniture he had just bought to replace the old one during that fire. “I thought of abandoning the yard then but was discouraged by my wife who vowed never to relent,” he says.

Once again, the social workers came to the family’s rescue by providing food and clothes. On the 25th of October 2015, Tanyala went to Gerald estates for a piece work only to find her house once again consumed by fire for the third time, Nothing was salvaged from the inferno. As usual, the social workers came to the family’s rescue with provisions such as food clothing and a shelter in the form of a tent.

Again on the 19th of January 2016 the fire returned with a vengeance consuming the donated tent and everything inside within seconds and a tree next to the tent. Currently, the couple has nothing but two blankets, one pot and two rusty plates which they salvaged from the fire. As for the children, they have temporarily taken refuge with other relatives since they don’t have a place to sleep.

“Our relatives have advised us to sell the property but we have vowed to stay put in the yard since we believe that God will see us through.” The couple is appealing to any man of God to help them.

Tanyala laments that she suspects that this is the work of a petty thief who once threatened the family with witchcraft after he was caught stealing the family’s electronics, but is handicapped by the fact that Botswana’s law does not recognise witchcraft.