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When flames tore through Delfi Greek Taverna earlier this month, Durban lost one of its familiar old-school restaurants. For the Teranes family, however, the loss was far more personal.
The building on the corner of Lilian Ngoyi and Livingstone roads was not only home to the restaurant. Doddy, Maria and Manuel Teranes had lived there for 59 years.
Their home, possessions and decades of family memories were destroyed along with the taverna.
Now, a fundraising campaign is helping the family begin the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.
READ: Fire tears through much-loved Delphi Greek Taverna in Durban
More than a restaurant
The fire broke out on Thursday, September 3, engulfing the building before firefighters brought it under control.
While our first report focused on the damage to the restaurant, the full scale of the family’s loss has since become clearer.
The property had been their home since 1967. Family records, certificates and possessions collected over several generations were among the items lost in the blaze.
Long before Delfi began serving its Greek favourites, the same building housed EFI Supermarket, which was run by the family’s parents for around 35 years. Sisters Maria and Doddy Teranes later opened Delfi Greek Taverna in 2002, giving the familiar corner a new life.
For many regulars, it became the kind of place where the people serving you remembered who you were. For the family, it remained the centre of their lives.
A campaign to help Delphi’s family
Linda Landzanakis started the official BackaBuddy fundraiser, Delfi Will Rise From the Ashes, to support Doddy, Maria and Manuel as they rebuild their lives.
More than R70,000 has already been raised towards the R300,000 target.
According to the campaign page, the family escaped with little more than the clothes they were wearing.
The response has not been limited to financial donations. Members of the Durban community have also offered the family accommodation, clothing, meals, appliances and practical help.
That generosity says a great deal about what Delfi meant to the people who ate there over the years. This was a small family-run restaurant, but its place in Durban’s collective memory was much bigger than its dining room.
The stranger who ran towards the fire
Amid the devastation, there was also an extraordinary act of courage.
Local chef Ayakha Godlwana heard calls for help and entered the burning building to rescue 74-year-old Doddy Teranes. She made it out alive, and no deaths were reported in the fire.
A separate fundraising campaign was later created to thank Godlwana for risking his life. The two campaigns are independent: one supports Godlwana, while the Delfi Will Rise From the Ashes campaign is specifically for the Teranes family.
There is still a considerable distance between the money raised and the R300,000 target. But for a family suddenly faced with replacing everything, every contribution counts.
Help the Delphi family
You can contribute through the official Delfi Will Rise From the Ashes BackaBuddy fundraiser.
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