A mystery fire gutted about 10 shacks in the Emarasteni informal settlement in Ext 8 in the Far East Bank on June 17.
No one seemed to know what the cause of the fire was or who may have set the shacks alight. A woman who is a resident of Emarasteni and whose home was also burnt to ashes told Alex News that she was not aware of the cause.
The woman who did not want to be named said, “I don’t know what happened as I just saw the fire in the shack next to mine and I didn’t see who started the fire. My shack was also burnt down and all our family belongings were consumed by the fire, including Sassa cards and IDs.”
The outbreak of the fire was said to have followed a manhunt by Alex police accompanied by Ward 105 councillor Tefo Raphadfu and ward committee members who were in search of suspects that allegedly torched the councillor’s offices at the Altrek Sports Facility on June 16.
It is believed the manhunt followed soon after videos that went viral of a group of residents of the informal settlement who had protested outside the Altrek Sports Facility while burning tyres.
During the manhunt, it is believed two of seven suspects believed to have been identified from the videos and allegedly connected to the torching of the councillor’s office, were apprehended while the other five had already fled the area.
When contacted by Alex News, Raphadu urged the community to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure the apprehension of the remaining five suspects whose names are known to police.
He also emphasised the importance of residents communicating with their ward committee members about any grievances they might have instead of venting their displeasure on state property.
“We are, however, grateful for the community who came out in their numbers to support us in making sure the hooligans who set my offices on fire are brought to book,” Raphadu said.
