Instead of relaxing over the festive season, residents of Phumlani Village in Lotus River are counting the cost of a fire on Christmas Day which killed one man and destroyed a number of shacks.
Sisanda Mthiywa, 22, lost her home and her friend Mzingaye Mlilo, who was living with her and her boyfriend, early on Christmas morning when a fire broke out at about 3am.
It spread quickly from one shack to the next.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
A devastated Mthiywa said all she remembered was her boyfriend waking her up to get out of the shack.
“It happened so fast, and even though my partner and I made it out of the shack, our friend, Mzingaye Mlilo, did not,” she said.
Mlilo died after suffering severe burns.
Neighbours have stepped forward to help Mthiywa build a new home with the leftover burnt material along with five 3m zinc plates, a box of nails and a roll of black plastic sheeting supplied by the city’s disaster management.
Mthiywa is staying with her neighbours while her shack is being rebuilt, while Xwayile Phakati, who also lost his home, said he was spending each night at a different friend’s home.
“All I have are the clothes on my back.
“I lost everything. I don’t even have enough material to build a new shack,’’ he explained.
Apart from the building material given to residents, the city’s disaster risk management unit has made arrangements to provide food parcels, clothing and blankets.
Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, the city’s disaster risk management spokesman, said trauma counselling would also be provided.
A community committee member, Leticia van Roman, has criticised the city for not doing enough.
“It’s so heartbreaking to think that these people lost everything, especially at Christmas.
“All they received to rebuild their homes was five zinc plates, a packet of nails and a roll of sheeting.”
Van Roman said Mthiywa had received small bags of mealie meal and samp, a small pot of peanut butter, five tea bags and a small packet of sugar.
Since Christmas, there have been 16 fires in suburbs and 11 in informal settlements.
Fifty-one people have been left homeless.
l Following the numerous fires over the festive season, the City of Cape Town is continuing with its public awareness campaign to equip residents with the knowledge to prevent unnecessary deaths and life-changing accidents.
Summer in Cape Town is a high fire-risk period, with many people suffering loss of life or livelihoods, and injuries.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said that in the past five years the city had doubled its firefighting staff in the Western Cape to 900, and that more than R2 million had been spent on five new departments.
“We also have a specialised training academy in Epping which has worldwide certification,” he said.
Even though the province had one of the best fire departments in the country, problems lay in informal settlements.
“Lack of access, overhanging illegal cables and other factors delayed engines from accessing burning structures.”
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