Another fire leaves Mangolongolo residents destitute

Mangolongolo informal settlement was hit by another fire in the early hours of August 31.

The fire destroyed more than 300 shacks and residents were left destitute.

A number of residents were left with nothing as all their belongings were burnt.

According to Mangolongolo community leader, Ms Maria Mthimkhulu it is alleged that the fire was caused by human error.

“The first started around 2am. A young man left a stove on and went to buy beer and when he returned to his shack it had caught fire. He immediately ran away and has not been seen ever since,” said Ms Mthimkhulu.

She said some residents managed to save some of their belongings but most have lost everything.

“We are shocked and we don’t even know where to start and we don’t even have material to rebuild because all was just burnt beyond repair,” said Ms Mthimkhulu.

Residents were already trying to rebuild after the fire was extinguished by fire engines from Malvern.

Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson, Mr Robert Mulaudzi, urged the residents not to leave candles and paraffin stoves unattended.

“The cause of the fire is unknown but in most cases in areas like this the most common cause of fires are human error. Building shacks using wood and not leaving enough space between the shacks makes the fire spread rapidly throughout the settlement,” said Mr Mulaudzi.

Eliot Shezu, who has been living in Mangolongolo for more than two years, said life in the informal settlement is difficult.

“This is not the first time my shack burns down and I lose everything. Three times since I started living here, I have lost my belongings to fire. I only manged to save my ID but I’m left with nothing.

“I’m currently not working and the little that I had is now lost in the fire. At this point I have no plan and I am not even sure where I’m going to sleep tonight or if I will go to bed with an empty stomach,” said Mr Shezi.

This is the life of many in Mangolongolo, who are unemployed and came to Johannesburg for a better life. Many stay in Mangolongolo temporarily until they can get on their feet but end up living there longer than expected because of being unemployed.

Mr Philane who has been living in Mangolongolo has also seen many fires and said it is sad to lose what you have because someone was not responsible.

“We know that candles and paraffin stoves are not safe but some people are not careful and that causes the fires, leaving us homeless.

“If electricity could be installed maybe that would decrease the fires because we experience this more than two times in one year and rebuilding is not easy because we don’t always have material,” said Mr Khumalo.

Ms Zintombile Sithole who lives with her daughter and grandchild said she has been living in Mangolongolo since 1993.

“We have always lived in these conditions and all you can do after the fire is rebuild because life will not stop just because a fire happened. I only managed to save my ID because without an ID you can never receive any help,” said Ms Sithole.

Many children did not go to school because books and their uniforms were burnt in the fire and they had to stay home to try and help with the rebuilding.

Thirteen-year-old Minenhle Mbatha was sitting with her family’s belongings while her parents went out to try and find material to rebuild their home.

“When the fire started we were sleeping and we smelt smoke and woke up to check and started moving out our belongings from the shack.

“We managed to save most of our belongings. I had to stay home today because we have to rebuild our home,” said Minenhle.

ANC PR councillor, Clr Alison Roberts visited the settlement to assess the situation and called for help from community members, business and social development.

“It is devastating for someone to lose their belongings in a fire. But the community has come together to try to help one another and as a councillor it’s my responsibility to assist the community because that is what it means to be a councillor – serving the people,” said Clr Roberts.

“The disaster management team came in the morning to assess the situation and also take names of the residents affected by the fire. The Shoprite soup kitchen came to cook for the residents affected by the fire.”

In May this year numerous shacks were burnt, affecting 350 people.

Mangolongolo was one the settlements where residents were given fire safety kits at the beginning of winter by Johannesburg Emergency Services.