A man died and 24 people were displaced when a fire destroyed a number of shacks in Samora Machel's Kosovo informal settlement on Monday night.
Witnesses said Mawonga Makendlana, 26, died in the blaze.
"He cried three times and was never heard again," Makendlana's shocked girlfriend, Yoliswa Nyemangene, 19, said on Tuesday.
"There was no electricity and he was trying to light a candle," said Nokuzola Nyengane, 29, a neighbour whose shack also burnt down.
"We tried to get inside but the fire was too much and his door was locked," Nyengane added.
When the Cape Argus arrived at the scene on Tuesday, Nyemangene was still gathering her boyfriend's few unscathed belongings.
Affected families were also busy trying to rebuild their lives by clearing the ashes and debris and rebuilding their shacks.
"For how long will we lose our loved ones and our humble shelters to fire?" asked one resident who declined to be named.
"We will give food, blankets and clothes to those displaced. Once they are settled we will try to help them with furniture and other things," said Ibrahim Smith, disaster co-ordinator for Mustadafin Foundation a disaster relief organisation that was at the scene.
"They lost everything and we urge the public to help," he added. - Cape Argus
Witnesses said Mawonga Makendlana, 26, died in the blaze.
"He cried three times and was never heard again," Makendlana's shocked girlfriend, Yoliswa Nyemangene, 19, said on Tuesday.
| 'We tried to get inside but the fire was too much' |
"We tried to get inside but the fire was too much and his door was locked," Nyengane added.
When the Cape Argus arrived at the scene on Tuesday, Nyemangene was still gathering her boyfriend's few unscathed belongings.
Affected families were also busy trying to rebuild their lives by clearing the ashes and debris and rebuilding their shacks.
"For how long will we lose our loved ones and our humble shelters to fire?" asked one resident who declined to be named.
"We will give food, blankets and clothes to those displaced. Once they are settled we will try to help them with furniture and other things," said Ibrahim Smith, disaster co-ordinator for Mustadafin Foundation a disaster relief organisation that was at the scene.
"They lost everything and we urge the public to help," he added. - Cape Argus
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