Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse promises help for Kwa Mai Mai fire victims

As residents of an informal settlement near Kwa Mai Mai recover from a devastating fire, Johannesburg Mayor Mphoto Mphalatse said help is on the way for the victims of the blaze.

Hundreds of homes were gutted in the densely populated informal settlement by the fire that broke out on Sunday

The fire tore through more than four hundred structures.

ALSO READ: One dead after fire breaks out at Kwa Mai Mai informal settlement

At least one person died and another person was injured in the incident.

Phalatse, who visited the area with city officials, said shelter would be provided to all those affected by the fire.

“Arrangements by social development and disaster management are immediate, community development as well. It is the housing department that needs to get the site ready where shacks will be erected for the affected individuals. That’s not going to happen today, they need two hours to a week.”

“In the meantime, they will be housed in a community development facility nearby and they will be provided food and mattresses and whatever else they need,” Phalatse said.”

Illegal connections to blame

It is believed that illegal electricity connections were the cause of the fire that left over four hundred families homeless.

“The biggest lesson out of this is illegal connections are big liability not only to the city and its residents, but also to the occupants of those properties that are illegally connected, they are dangerous and we’ve lost too many lives. This is not something we want to see going on,” Phalatse said.

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Emergency Services led a fire safety campaign at Madondo Informal Settlement to raise awareness on winter fires and provide residents with information on how to avoid the dangers of shack fire.

This comes after Gauteng Weather warned residents to brace for cold weather conditions expected to hit the province on Wednesday.

Johannesburg will see temperatures of 2 degrees on Monday with the mercury plummeting to 0 on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pretoria is also expected to see very low temperatures of between 2 and 3 degrees.  

The strong cold front made landfall in Cape Town on Sunday night with the South African Weather Service (Saws) warning residents of icy conditions sweeping over the province for the rest of the week.

ALSO READ: Gauteng residents warned of intense cold front starting Wednesday