Fire-hit rugby club pleads for help to ‘rise from ashes’
|Published
Cape Town - The Peninsula RFC Rugby Club in Muizenberg has been dealt a heavy blow to their season as they lost most of their equipment in a devastating fire.
The fire that erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning destroyed the club’s equipment clubhouse.
Club chairperson Ebrahim Cassiem said they were informed by the club’s vice chairperson that the structure was burning.
“By the time he got there, the majority of the flames were already extinguished by the fire department.
“The damage was already done to the storeroom container,” he said.
Cassiem said the container was used for all their equipment that contributes to their functioning as a rugby club. Items like the team’s gameday jerseys, tackling equipment, pole protectors and field equipment were destroyed in the blaze.
“It is items that we found very valuable, it was very secure in that storeroom. Quite a bit of sports equipment was damaged,” Cassiem said.
The cause of the fire is not known yet but it is suspected that there was a short in the circuit that ignited the fire.
Spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Services, Jermaine Carelse, said teams responded just before midnight.
He said crews from Fish Hoek and Lakeside were on the scene.
“The padlock at the entrance had to be broken in order for staff to gain access to the container/clubhouse.
“The fire was extinguished just after 1am, with damages to the structure and its contents,” he said.
Carelse said no one was injured in the fire. The team consists of players from neighbouring communities in Lavender Hill, Steenberg and Ocean View.
Lesley Canary, a loose forward, said that everything necessary for them to perform on the sportsfield had been destroyed.
“Everything that we have built up over the past few years has gone up in smoke, every little piece of equipment we had.
“Everything we need to function on the sportsfield is gone and as a player relying on that stuff, it is devastating, we can either see it as a setback or as something to motivate us to get through the season,” he said.
The club has since been blessed with several items but has pleaded with locals and surrounding communities to support them as they intend to rise from the ashes.
“I must commend the camaraderie among rugby players out there. A big thank you to the clubs that game to our rescue,” Cassiem said.
“They donated a few tackling bags, shields as well as Western Province donating a few stuff.
“We have a few items that we can use, there will be no immediate break in our practise routine.
“I must do a deep audit of what was lost but we might be in need of a set of jerseys or two because club’s won’t give you that but it's not the end of the world.
“We will rise like the Phoenix.” The team is currently occupying a spot in the mid-table in the Western Province Club Rugby Southern League.
If you would like to assist the Peninsula RFC, contact Ebrahim Cassiem on 0827223186 or Lesley Canary at 084 426 6369.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za
Cape Argus