Gauteng urges businesses, humanitarian entities to assist Marlboro factory fire victims

The Gauteng provincial government has stepped in to offer relief to victims of a blaze at an unused factory in Marlboro, which housed 48 families, on Tuesday night.

Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Lebogang Maile visited the factory on Wednesday.

Provincial disaster management was also on the scene, providing humanitarian relief to the affected families.

Maile pleaded with businesses and humanitarian entities to help the victims.

“We call on the private sector and humanitarian entities to help us reach out to the affected families so that we can provide them with meaningful assistance.

“As the government, we have limited resources and since this is the second fire in the past few days in the province, after Pomona in Ekurhuleni, we are urging other sectors within society to work with us in assisting those who have been affected by this unfortunate occurrence,” Maile said.

The fire at the factory comes just a day after about 900 people were left homeless in the Pomona informal settlement, Kempton Park, Johannesburg.

Nearly 200 shacks were destroyed during the blaze.

Maile said disaster management would work closely with the City of Johannesburg’s housing department to find temporary shelters for the victims.

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