Man dies, 15 homes destroyed in shack fire

A man in his 50s died after his shack and 14 others, were destroyed in a fire at Zuzokuhle Informal Settlement, Howick, on Friday night.

Residents said they found the remains of the man on Sunday.

It is alleged that the man, who stayed alone in his shack, had been drinking and fell asleep while cooking.

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Residents said he had a small gas cylinder inside his shack which they suspect exploded when the fire started.

One of the residents whose shack was gutted, Wellington Ngwenya, said it was still hard to accept that he had lost everything. Ngwenya said he was more upset about his documents, such as his ID, which he couldn’t save.

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The fire started late, around 10 pm, but some people were still up drinking since they had been paid. I was already in bed when I heard screams that there was a fire and rushed outside to check and found the house close to mine already on fire. We tried putting out the fire by collecting water with buckets but it wasn’t enough.
He added that a farmer, who stays close to the informal settlement, came to their aid and managed to put out the fire with his water tanker.

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Ngwenya said by then, the fire had already spread and destroyed 14 other shacks.

We lost everything and had to find shelter at our relatives’ and friends’ places. Only on Sunday, when we started looking for things that weren’t destroyed, did we find this man dead where his shack was.
He said they lost everything and some people also lost money they had kept inside their shacks. He added that the mood at the settlement has been sombre since the incident.

Ward councillor, Nkosinathi Mabaso, said he was informed that the man was from Elandskop in Pietermaritzburg.

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He said the municipality and other relevant departments were assisting the residents who lost their homes.

It’s really concerning that a life has been lost when people of Zuzokuhle have a housing project that’s currently on hold because of bulk water supply by uMgungundlovu District.
I’m saddened by the news and I wish politics can be put aside so people’s lives can be prioritised.