Pensioner Nomalizo Mhlabeni, 67, lost everything in a devastating fire in Masiphumelele early on Monday morning in which 5 000 people were left homeless, and more than 1 500 shacks burnt down.
One man was killed and one was treated for severe burns to his hands, feet and face.
Holding her tears back and in shock, Mhlabeni said her brick walls had collapsed due to the ferocity of the blaze.
The mother of four foster children aged two months, 11, 13, and 15 years, said she does not know how the fire started but she was sleeping when she was woken by screams and went to investigate.
She returned to find her own home engulfed by flames.
“I lost everything. I never saw anything like this fire before,” said Mhlabeni.
Her house was the only one among a group of about 10 homes situated across a road and about 100m from where the fire started which was destroyed in the blaze. Asked why her home burnt and the others were untouched Mhlabeni said apparently “a fireball flew from where the initial fire started and landed on my house”.
Late on Monday afternoon those who had lost their homes and belongings started rebuilding their houses with what they could salvage and with some material given to them by the City’s Disaster Management.
About 15 RDP houses were also burnt.
Ivy Ngovana, 43, who owned the house where the dead man was found, said: “I don’t know who he is, but my two children are safe”.
Ngovana suspects that the man might have been trying to douse the fire in her shack when he was trapped inside.
“I only saw this morning that someone had died in my shack,” said Ngovana.
She said all she had left were the clothes she was wearing.
In five months, Nosandiso Maphungwana has had to rebuild her house three times after a fire.
She said she lost her belongings in a fire on December 26 in which more than 150 shacks were destroyed and more than 700 people were displaced.
Maphungwana has lived in Masiphumelele for seven years. She shared her two-room shack with her boyfriend and one-year-old daughter.
She said that they had been promised housing several times in the past.
“It’s very difficult for us here, we have fires all the time but no one ever comes here to listen to our needs.
“I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild my house right now We don’t have material because we don’t work,” Maphungwana said.
She said they saw the fire from afar and went back to sleep, but minutes later they were woken by a neighbour after the fire had burnt a few shacks to the ground.
Another victim London Daka, 33, who lives with his wife and a six-year-old child, said he was also awakened by people screaming.
“I quickly put on my clothes and went to help douse the fire, but the fire spread and my house was also affected.
“I could not remove anything,” said Daka.
As a result of the fire Daka lost all his furniture, as there was no time to pick up anything
Another victim, spaza owner Nomabhelu Maki, said all her stock has been lost in the fire.
“I don’t know what to do and who to turn to for help. Like everybody here, I am devastated,” said Maki.
City’s disaster risk management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said displaced people would be housed in a community hall.
“All city infrastructures are on the ground helping the victims,” said Solomons-Johannes.
After assessing the damage and speaking to residents, Mayor Dan Plato told a gathering of community leaders that “brick houses damaged by the fire would have to be demolished and rebuilt”.
Plato said the victims should wait for the city to level the area before anyone could rebuild their houses.
- Cape Times
One man was killed and one was treated for severe burns to his hands, feet and face.
Holding her tears back and in shock, Mhlabeni said her brick walls had collapsed due to the ferocity of the blaze.
The mother of four foster children aged two months, 11, 13, and 15 years, said she does not know how the fire started but she was sleeping when she was woken by screams and went to investigate.
She returned to find her own home engulfed by flames.
“I lost everything. I never saw anything like this fire before,” said Mhlabeni.
Her house was the only one among a group of about 10 homes situated across a road and about 100m from where the fire started which was destroyed in the blaze. Asked why her home burnt and the others were untouched Mhlabeni said apparently “a fireball flew from where the initial fire started and landed on my house”.
Late on Monday afternoon those who had lost their homes and belongings started rebuilding their houses with what they could salvage and with some material given to them by the City’s Disaster Management.
About 15 RDP houses were also burnt.
Ivy Ngovana, 43, who owned the house where the dead man was found, said: “I don’t know who he is, but my two children are safe”.
Ngovana suspects that the man might have been trying to douse the fire in her shack when he was trapped inside.
“I only saw this morning that someone had died in my shack,” said Ngovana.
She said all she had left were the clothes she was wearing.
In five months, Nosandiso Maphungwana has had to rebuild her house three times after a fire.
She said she lost her belongings in a fire on December 26 in which more than 150 shacks were destroyed and more than 700 people were displaced.
Maphungwana has lived in Masiphumelele for seven years. She shared her two-room shack with her boyfriend and one-year-old daughter.
She said that they had been promised housing several times in the past.
“It’s very difficult for us here, we have fires all the time but no one ever comes here to listen to our needs.
“I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild my house right now We don’t have material because we don’t work,” Maphungwana said.
She said they saw the fire from afar and went back to sleep, but minutes later they were woken by a neighbour after the fire had burnt a few shacks to the ground.
Another victim London Daka, 33, who lives with his wife and a six-year-old child, said he was also awakened by people screaming.
“I quickly put on my clothes and went to help douse the fire, but the fire spread and my house was also affected.
“I could not remove anything,” said Daka.
As a result of the fire Daka lost all his furniture, as there was no time to pick up anything
Another victim, spaza owner Nomabhelu Maki, said all her stock has been lost in the fire.
“I don’t know what to do and who to turn to for help. Like everybody here, I am devastated,” said Maki.
City’s disaster risk management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said displaced people would be housed in a community hall.
“All city infrastructures are on the ground helping the victims,” said Solomons-Johannes.
After assessing the damage and speaking to residents, Mayor Dan Plato told a gathering of community leaders that “brick houses damaged by the fire would have to be demolished and rebuilt”.
Plato said the victims should wait for the city to level the area before anyone could rebuild their houses.
- Cape Times
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