Second fire at Fluerhof highlights a housing nightmare

Survivors of a fire that ripped through the Fluerhof informal settlement in extension nine hopelessly looked on – as the Gauteng MEC of Human Settlement, Lebogang Maile conducted an oversight visit to the informal settlement on Monday.

The blaze occurred in the early hours of Sunday, killing two children aged two and five and destroyed 49 shacks, according to the residents.

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Community Leader, Siyonela Sompali detailed the scene, “The mother of the two children was inside when the fire started and when the community members could not access the family as the door was locked, they pulled her out through the window and when they tried to get the children, the fire was already intense.”

Forensics combed through the scene on Sunday in search of the bodies in what a resident compared the bodies to that of a burnt chicken.

“I am extremely troubled by what we saw yesterday. I am from Mozambique, but I am pleading for assistance for these families. I didn’t sleep.

“The image of what I saw has been on my mind. When they removed it from rubble, the copse looked like a burnt chicken. Those children died in a tragic way, and they are all innocent in this,” the man told the publication.

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Smoke from the devastating fire was still visible when the MEC did his walked about in the area. He also went to an abandoned hostel nearby, which has been converted into an informal settlement.

Some of the residents expressed dissatisfaction with the MEC’s visit, citing that the government was not doing enough to help the people in the informal settlement.

They raised issues pertaining to water and electricity.

“We want the Cllr to fix all these issues we have because why else are we voting. The government must provide adequate houses – they give us shacks which mean this is where we will die.

“The place is full of thieves. We are even scared to go out at night. We don’t work and reply on selling wood. We want toilets too,” said Maletsatsi Mamogale.

The fire comes barely a month after dozens of shacks in the area went up in smoke.

“What we have seen most of the people residing at both the informal settlement where the shacks burnt and the abandoned hostel are largely foreign nationals which is a huge problem. We have to move quickly to deal with illegal immigrants.

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“It is causing big problems as we are unable to plan. Those shacks are not the first time they burn down and most of those people who use to reside there were relocated to the flats being built and we have others going back, renting out their flats so it is a problem which will require law enforcement,” Maile said, adding that the city had medium and long-term plans for the particular informal settlement.