A Port Elizabeth woman has created a self-righting candle holder in a bid to prevent lives being lost in devastating shack fires in the townships.
Ronnie Vosloo, 77, of St George’s Park, said she had felt compelled to come up with some sort of aid, and with the help of her son had created a candle holder made of cheap material that even when knocked over would not set anything alight.
The prototype rights itself after it is knocked over, due to a weight inside a round bowl.
A cage is assembled on top of the bowl around the candle holder to prevent anything flammable like a curtain or rug from reaching the fire and igniting.
“The idea for the candle holder started years ago,” Vosloo said.
“The idea that people lost their belongings and died because of fires, with candles being their only source of light, made be start thinking of ways to reduce fires.
“It really bothered me that thousands of people lost their lives due to shack fires.
“The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me.
“This made me think about the poor people who are living in shacks and go to bed at night with their children not knowing whether they are going to wake up tomorrow in case a fire breaks out. We are privileged to not have to worry about these kinds of things.
“My domestic worker says they have to use candles in their RDP homes because they are cheaper.
“She works part-time and cannot afford electricity for the whole month.”
Vosloo, who grew up in Kakamas in the Northern Cape where they installed electricity only when she started high school, knows what it is like to live by candlelight.
“It is not easy or comfortable, but back then it was the way of life because we didn’t have electricity and so I can understand to some degree how difficult it must be for people who are unable to afford it.
“When we set out, our main aim was to secure the open flame because if about 49% of fires are caused by candles, then that speaks volumes.
“I went to the fire stations in Uitenhage and in South End to conduct my own research and asked what the biggest cause of fire is, and they could only give their speculation that candles were the number one cause of fire in shacks. And this sparked my idea.”
Vosloo said she had tried numerous avenues, including visiting factories, in an attempt to have the prototype manufactured, but without success.
“It is hard to say how much something like this would cost to make because if it is manufactured, everything needed can be made at a much cheaper price, but I understand why this would seem like a small project to a lot of businesses.
“But this really could become a solution to the fires and save lives.
“What I hope to achieve with this prototype is that the government could get hold of it and manufacture it, and then distribute it to people who live in these shacks for free because the [government] spends millions of rands to replace or rebuild [homes in] those areas, whereas it could just be prevented with something this simple.”