- Three fires broke out in Langa, Cape Town, on Saturday, leaving more than 1 000 people homeless.
- Many of the residents who lost their homes are away in the Eastern Cape for the Easter long weekend.
- Authorities are probing the cause of the fire.
Three-hundred homes have been gutted in a devastating fire that ripped through the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa, Cape Town, on Saturday night, leaving about 1 200 people displaced.
Ten fire engines, seven water tankers and 70 firefighters were deployed to the area to bring the blaze under control, with firefighters managing to extinguish the blaze just before midnight.
Three fires broke out in the Langa area on Saturday. 300 homes gutted and 1200 people misplaced. Some residents have told News24 that some of the families that lost their homes are in the Eastern Cape for the Easter weekend.@TeamNews24 @News24 pic.twitter.com/iDRtODHaNh
— Lisalee Solomons???? (@Lisaleesolomon1) April 17, 2022
Huge flames could be seen lightning up the night sky as a plume of smoke towered above the township.
Dramatic scenes played out on Sunday as hopeless residents desperately scavenged through the rubble in the hope of finding anything useful to help them rebuild their lives.
Ward councillor Thembelani Nyamakazi described the Easter weekend fire as devastating and “sad”.
“The three fires broke out in the area on the same day. It has left me speechless. People are busy rebuilding their homes because the City of Cape Town doesn’t provide them with building material. Residents are gathering whatever they can find to build a structural home for their families. The situation is sad,” he added.
Nyamakazi said some of the victims of the fire were still in the Eastern Cape with family members for the long weekend.
Residents of Joe Slovo in Langa are trying to rebuild their homes.
“They were told by neighbours that their homes have been burnt to the ground.
“Some of the residents were only scheduled to come home on Monday, but many are returning back home now already,” said Nyamakazi.
Displaced locals told News24 they did not expect the fire to spread so quickly.
“My parents are in the Eastern Cape, but they are on their way home. They were very sad when I told them that our home burnt down. Luckily, I wasn’t at home when the fire broke out, but I was very sad when I got home and there was nothing left,” said Mariam Mabuzoi.
Another resident Sipho Nylamki said he was busy helping his neighbours rebuild their home before they would start with his.
He said:
My neighbour doesn’t speak English, but has a 5-month-old baby that’s coming home on Tuesday with the mother, and they need a place to stay. It’s very sad but what can we do? We must just rebuild our homes again.
Another emotional resident could only plead for help. “Please send us help, we need help and prayers.”
Langa community policing forum chairperson Alfred Magwaca said residents who were displaced on Saturday night were taken in by friends and families.
“People were back early this morning to rebuild their homes. It’s unfortunate that many of the residents are in the Eastern Cape and will now come back to no home. The residents are unhappy. I don’t think anyone anticipated this fire,” he said.
A bird’s-eye view of the area affected by the fire.
The area in Langa affected by the devastating fire.
Magwaca said at the time of the fire no community hall was available to accommodate the homeless residents.
Gift of the Givers has jumped into action, with a team already on-site on Sunday morning to help the affected.
Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay said:
We will be providing warm meals by lunchtime in the area. Bottled water, baby formula, nappies, cereals, hygiene packs and blankets will also be provided to residents.
The organisation said they would know how much assistance was needed in the community once they met with the Disaster Management team.
The City of Cape Town confirmed that three fires had broken out in the township on Saturday, with the City’s Fire and Rescue Service attending to the biggest fire in the Joe Slovo informal settlement just before 18:00.
The City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said a preliminary assessment from the City’s Disaster Risk Management indicated that 300 wood or iron structures were damaged and 1 200 people left displaced.
“This is only preliminary as a more comprehensive assessment will be done on Sunday,” said Smith.
The area affected by the fire.
A bird’s-eye view of the affected area.
Law enforcement, the metro police and the South African Police Service were on the scene to disperse unruly crowds and protect firefighting staff, added Smith.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and while no injuries or fatalities were reported, a number of people were left displaced,” he said.
Smith said in the first fire on Saturday shortly before 07:00 a man sustained fatal burns while eight structures were destroyed. The fire happened on the corner of Quinebe and Winnie Mandela roads.
The second fire occurred along the railway line just after 11:00. Fifteen informal structures were affected and no injuries sustained.
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Source by www.news24.com
