Over 2 800 informal homes lost to fire: Government spends R99m on relief efforts

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane recently revealed that more than 2 000 informal structures across South Africa burned down from September 2024 to February 2025.

The parliamentary report, which came in response to DA MP Conrad James Poole’s question about fire incidents during the festive season, details how the fires impacted all nine provinces and prompted relief efforts under the housing code of 2009’s disaster response mandate.

Fire incidents across provinces

According to Simelane, 2 860 informal structures had burned down nationwide. The Western Cape was the hardest hit with 2 088 structures destroyed during this period, about 73% of the national total.

KwaZulu-Natal reported the second-most number with 597 structures lost, while the Eastern Cape saw 161 informal dwellings destroyed. Gauteng recorded 13 structures lost and the Northern Cape reported a single incident.

Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North-West provinces reported no fire incidents during this period.

January 2025 saw the highest monthly total with 973 structures destroyed nationwide, followed by December 2024 with 768 and November 2024 with 394.

The Western Cape consistently reported high numbers, with a peak of 852 structures burned in January 2025.

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Financial assistance provided to fire wrecked informal settlements

Simelane also revealed that financial assistance totaling about R26 million had been allocated across the affected provinces.

The Western Cape received the largest portion at over R17 million, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at approximately R5 million and the Eastern Cape at around R1.5 million.

“The housing code of 2009 mandates the department of human settlements to intervene in situations where households are rendered homeless by disaster incidences,” Simelane said.

“The department in line with this mandate has intervened in rendering services to informal settlements that were affected by shack fires in various provinces.”

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Fire ridden homes relief efforts

This support primarily comes in the form of building materials, which have been distributed to 5 454 households at a cost of R99 503 856.32.

Some assistance, particularly for February 2025, is still being processed, with Simelane noting that certain deliveries are “yet to be delivered” in both the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

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