About 500 people have been displaced by the latest fire which broke out over the weekend in Imizamo Yethu.
Among the debris, a yet unidentified body with fatal burn wounds was found.
According to JP Smith, Mayco member for safety and security, an emergency call was received of informal structures burning in Imizamo Yethu shortly before midnight on Saturday 17 September.
“Various crews responded to this incident, including Hout Bay, Constantia, Lakeside, Roeland, Sea Point, Brooklyn, and Mitchell’s Plain. Upon arrival several structures were alight and crews managed to contain the blaze around 03:00 and eventually extinguished the fire by 07:00,” says Smith.
A total of 105 structures were destroyed as a result of the blaze.
“Disaster Risk Managment (DRM) has activated an on-site mobile Joint Operational Centre to coordinate services from various City departments to deal with the incident,” Smith reported on Sunday, adding that Sassa had been informed to provide humanitarian assistance and that the Department of Social Development would provide psycho-social support.
Fire victim Fezeka Matshaya says the fire broke out just after 23:30 on Saturday.
Matshaya says they were all in bed when the blaze broke out, leaving them very little time to grab their belongings. “I only had time to grab a small bag and my children,” she says.
Matshaya says that although the local and provincial government have been on the scene, there has been no indication as to what is next for those affected by the fire.
Ali Sablay, spokesperson for humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers, says their teams are on the ground in Imizamo Yethu, distributing hot meals and bottled water to fire victims.
Sablay says many of those affected are elderly and young children. Describing the situation on the ground as dire, he says the victims staying at the community hall had to sleep on top of each other on Sunday night with no mattresses available.
“Many lost all their possessions, they are sleeping in community halls but they have no mattresses and goods to accommodate them. Gift of the Givers are currently distributing mattresses, blankets, baby care packs, hygiene items and sanitary packs. We will be here for the next five days to provide humanitarian need until the relevant authorities step in,” says Sablay.
He adds that they are waiting to hear from the City of Cape Town and Malusi Booi, Mayco member for human settlements, when a meeting can be held to discuss if building material or accommodation will be provided or not.
Sablay says he hopes that the meeting will be held within this week.
Thula Thula Hout Bay was also on the ground early Sunday morning, assisting DRM with registration and humanitarian assistance. Thula-Thula Hout Bay is a group of local residents representing all three demographical areas of Hout Bay. The organisation’s aim and objective is to create a centralised drop off and distribution system offering coordinated relief to victims of disaster in the valley.
Joanne Chemaly of Thula Thula says although there have been a number of small fires in the settlement this year, Saturday’s fire is the largest within the past 24 months.
Chemaly says that most of those affected have been taken in by friends and family in the community while three families without the immediate means to rebuild have been accommodated in the community hall.
“It is always tragic when people who work so hard for the little they have loose it in such a way,” says Chemaly.
Describing the community as resilient, she says rebuilding after a fire has become harder after Covid-19.
“The City used to be able to provide fire victims with a starter pack, usually poles and sheets, to help rebuild their homes but now with the budget constraints after Covid they are no longer able to do so. Now, apart from the financial outlay to replace their personal belongings, they are also trying to find equipment to rebuild their houses,” she says.
Residents wanting to donate blankets and non-perishable grocery items to the fire victims can contact Thula Thula Hout Bay via its Facebook page.
