In this rural part of KwaZulu-Natal, people live in traditional rondavel homes that are spread out among thornveld valleys. Ngcongo lives in an idyllic-looking rural community located in hills above the Nhlazuka valley. She just managed to grab her six children and a few meagre possessions before escaping the wildfires that burnt down her valley.
Shongaziph Ngcongo awoke one windy night in August to find her thatched-roof house ablaze.