Residents to build new homes following Hout Bay blaze

After raging fires tore through an already embattled Hout Bay informal settlement last weekend, residents of Imizamo Yethu will have to pick up their own pieces.

Numerous officials from the City of Cape Town said on Monday that “start-up kits” would be provided so that the 15000 people who lost their shacks on Saturday could try and build new ones.

A man, woman and child from the settlement were killed over the weekend and many others are injured.

But only once the debris; the remnants of people’s homes; was cleared and full water and electricity supply were restored, could people start to re-build.

Over 4500 shacks were destroyed in the blaze and since then the destitute have been sheltered in community halls in the Hout Bay area and the sports complex.

City of Cape Town’s disaster management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said some residents would have to rebuild themselves.

“It takes half a day to rebuild a shack… They [certain residents] need to rebuild them themselves but we will give the necessary materials to do that.”

As for the belongings like a bed and a chair to put inside the shack, the city did not provide a plan by the time of going to print.

Human Settlements communications director Nathan Adriaanse said the city was “driving the initiative” to survey the needs of the people who have lost their homes.

“As government we are doing we are doing the best we can… “

He said provincial government was in contact with the Department of Home Affairs to try and assist those who had lost legal documents such as birth certificates and identity documents.

In the meantime NGOs and concerned residents have been trying to help.

In a statement released late Monday afternoon by senior media liaison for the City, Jean-Marie de Waal said so far NGOs such as the Red Cross; organisations and civil society had come out to assist.

Over 20,000 meals had been distributed as well as other essentials.

The cancelled Cape Town Cycle Race and its sponsors had also sent food and drinks meant to be used in the race to the displaced.

“It is foreseen that it will take at least a week for the City’s solid waste management department to clear the debris,” she said, adding that the ground would then have to be levelled and re-designed.

In terms of money paid out to compensate victims the city had to “verify the legitimate fire-affected beneficiaries”.

“Due to the scale of the fire, it may take some time before all residents receive their building kits, however the City is doing everything in our power to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible,” said de Waal.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Table Mountain reserve firefighters were still struggling on Monday to put out a vegetation fire.

Because of high winds over the weekend, ground firefighters and water bombing helicopters were unable to tackle the blaze.

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