WATCH: Fire razes Dakota Beach informal settlement
A community member said they believed they were successful in getting everyone out before the fire spread.
MANY people have been left without a home after a fire ravaged Dakota Beach informal settlement on Saturday night, April 15, just after 20:00.
The settlement lies on the eastern edge of Prospecton, between the Amanzimtoti golf course and Isipingo Beach, along Ernest Clokie Road.
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Ward 97 councillor and eThekwini Municipality executive committee member, André Beetge, said there is total devastation with about 90% of the squatter camp razed to the ground.
“This was someone’s house; now it’s just rubble and smoldering debris. A member of the community said it started in one of the shacks at about 20:00. They then alerted everyone, and believed they were successful in getting everyone out before the fire spread. Some have been able to salvage what they can,” said Beetge.
According to PT Alarms spokesperson Dhevan Govindasamy, there were no injuries or fatalities.
All emergency services and disaster management were on the scene. The cause of the fire is unknown.
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In an article entitled, Prospecton settlement attracts attention (March 12, 2023), it reveals that the settlement started developing around 25 years ago, from sporadic structures into a bustling community. In 2021, the then-Ward 90 councillor, Sunil Brijmohan, said the Dakota Beach residents will be relocated to a more suitable place as that area was not intended to be a human settlement. Over the years, it has experienced a number of disasters that have ranged from fires to flooding.
On May 27, 2019, in an article entitled, Isipingo Beach’s Dakota shacks go up in smoke, it is revealed that about 75 people were left homeless after 40-odd shacks burnt down. The cause was unknown.
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