Blaze claims 20 shacks in Mams
The blaze which completely destroyed various items including documents, clothing and furniture, has left the Mhlanga informal settlement community reeling.
Residents of Mhlanga informal settlement in Mamelodi West section B1 have lost their most important possessions in a shack fire.
IDs, birth certificates, furniture and clothing were burnt to cinders as a fire destroyed more than 25 shacks on Wednesday around 03:00.
Residents could be heard screaming for help, as the fire relentlessly spread.
Ward 67 councillor, Sizwe Tsiane said he received calls in the early hours that shacks were on fire in Mhlanga.
He said the emergency service was called and came to put out the fire.
“Fortunately, only 25 shacks out of more than 200 shacks burnt,” said Tsiane.
He said two people were treated for smoke inhalation.
“We have relocated people of Mhlanga twice in 10 years. Unfortunately, others re-occupy the space. The current victims have lost the majority of their belongings,” he said.
“We have contacted the social development to come and assess the situation, obviously to provide temporary shelter and we are also engaging with Home Affairs to help those who lost their IDs and birth certificates,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any other choice but to help rebuild the shacks because many people are unemployed and we can’t allow them to stay at churches for more than six months.”
Tsiane said rebuilding the shacks is a temporary solution with the long-standing solution being to relocate the inhabitants of the settlement to a decent, dignified place of safety.
“The place is not safe and space to move in between the shacks is not wide enough, meaning fire can spread from one shack to another with ease.”
He said the permanent solution could only be implemented by the DA-led municipal government.
“At this moment we are calling on all the stakeholders to help with food parcels, and building materials just to give to the people.”
A victim and unemployed mother of two children (aged 2 and 7) Joyce Mogola (34) said she was sleeping when the fire broke out.
She said she was awoken by her children’s screams and smoke, and all she could think of at that time was how to keep her children safe.
“Everything I owned from furniture to clothes perished in the fire,” she said.
Another victim, Josephina Mtsweni (41) was fast asleep with her three children when neighbours knocked on her door screaming that there was a fire.
She said she lost everything she owned in the fire including her children’s school uniforms, books and other clothes.
Mtsweni said she desperately needed shelter, help to rebuild her shack as well as food for her children.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson, Charles Mabaso said firefighters received a call about the multiple shacks on fire around 04:20.
He said when the firefighters arrived on the scene, they immediately started firefighting.
“It was estimated about 20 shacks burned down,” said Mabaso.
He said the fire was subsequently extinguished.
“The disaster management was activated to conduct further assessment to ascertain the number of affected people and burned down shacks,” he said.
He said nobody was injured and two people were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
“After the firefighters left the scene, there was a notice that the fire had reignited and we sent in resources for a final mob up cooling operation,” he said.
Tsiane said the settlement was beset by problems.
“There is a land ownership squabble as well as a lack of service delivery,” he said.
“Only relocation will resolve this matter and the government must come up with a permanent solution to prevent people from reoccupying the space, and then turn the space into something progressive for the community.”
Temporary shelter was made available for the victims. The victims received donations of clothes, blankets, mattresses, sanitary pads, books and school for children and also organised soup kitchen and lunch with proper meal from different stakeholders.
Tsiane concluded they also helped victims with rebuilding their shacks and the soup kitchen and lunch to feed those who are unemployed.
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