Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cape Town – Close to 400 Masiphumelele residents have been left destitute after a devastating fire tore through their homes early on Saturday morning while the majority of them were asleep.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Services responded to the fire that is said to have started just after 1am on Saturday in Section A, Masiphumelele, just behind the Zululand informal settlement.
Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “A blaze ripped through a community in Masiphumelele early on Saturday, January 29, leaving a number of residents displaced.
“Fire and Rescue Services received a call for assistance at about 1.23am. Fire crews were informed that informal structures were on fire in Masemola Street. Fifteen firefighting appliances from various fire stations and 50 firefighters were at the scene. The fire was successfully extinguished by 7.24am. We had no reports of injuries or fatalities,” Carelse said.
In an effort to assist the affected residents, the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre says it went into the area to assess the situation and institute temporary relief measures.
Spokesperson Charlotte Powell said: “Over 100 structures were burnt to the ground in the fire, leaving over 235 families affected. The Gift of the Givers Foundation (GOTG), went into the area to provide humanitarian assistance. Various City departments were also on site over the weekend and assisted the affected community.”
As part of its immediate relief intervention, humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers supplied affected residents with food, water and essential items.
GOTG founder Imtiaz Sooliman said: “On Saturday morning, we received a call for assistance from the Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre. They told us that a community was in desperate need of our assistance following a devastating fire in their area.
“Preliminary assessment of the situation indicated that at least 152 shacks had been destroyed in the blaze, leaving about 600 people displaced. Our teams prepared meals, bottled water, blankets and baby-care packs as an initial intervention. Gift of the Givers has assisted communities at Masiphumelele on previous occasions,” Sooliman said.
Local community leaders in the area say they are appealing to compassionate individuals to come forward and assist affected residents with essential items, especially school uniforms and stationery for children who lost theirs in the fire.
Community leader Zoleka Dotwana said: “It’s completely devastating what happened here. Although it is not the first time, one can never prepare for it to happen. People lost everything that they had in this fire, and as they are trying to rebuild they will need our support.”
“We are appealing to people who can assist and those who would want to support to please do so,” said Dotwana.
Resident Avuzwa Zizo said: “I’m still shocked. I can’t believe this happened. My sister lost everything in this fire and she couldn’t even be here this morning to start rebuilding like the others, she had to go to work. She’s devastated.”
While there have been no confirmed reports about the cause of the fire, residents claim it was started by a man who had arrived drunk at his shack on the night of the fire.
Community leader Lubabalo Vellen said: “People are saying that the resident came home drunk, lit his stove to cook sausage and then blacked out. While he was sleeping the fire started. Residents managed to rescue him from the burning shack but by that time they couldn’t put it out, and the wind fanned the flames, resulting in this.
“I heard that the suspect ran away from here. People were angry with him. He probably feared for his life. He caused a disaster here, costing people a lot. Mind you, we are in January. Children no longer have uniforms, a place to sleep or anything.
“Our focus is on assisting those who were affected, collecting donations and lobbying the government to step in and assist with material, not new, but the material they confiscated during land invasions. I know the EFF is in talks with the City, so we will wait,” Vellen said.
Cape Argus
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