About 70 residents were left homeless after a fire ravaged their shacks in the early hours of this morning, 18 November, in Kya Sand Informal Settlement.
According to residents, the shack fire started just before 1am destroying about 20 shacks in the area leaving the victims without any belongings.
Ward 115 councillor Matome Mafokwane said there were no injuries reported, however, residents lost all of their items. “Some even lost their driver’s licences and identity documents,” he said.
He indicated that they were busy auditing the number of destroyed shacks and affected residents. “We are waiting for the disaster management team from the City to arrive here,” he said.
GALLERY and VIDEO: Disaster management team attends to Kya Sand fire
Douglasdale Community Policing Forum (CPF) member, Claire Wienand said they were seeking donations from members of the public.
She said residents who want to donate can drop items such as blankets, clothes, shoes, toiletries and non-perishable food items at the Douglasdale Police Station.
“We need to feed victims and we are looking for donations of root vegetables, beans, mealie meal and bread,” she said.
City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services confirmed the incident. “So far no fatalities or injuries have been reported but the incident occurred just before 1am,” he said. He explained that the cause of the fire was not yet known.
Details: Ward 115 councillor Matome Mafokwane, 084 854 4950; Claire Wienand, 082 928 2681.
