Masiphumelele once again ravaged by fire — residents struggle to rebuild

A day after fire swept through sections of Masiphumelele township near Fish Hoek, the affected areas were a hive of activity. A steady stream of people dragged stacks of burnt corrugated iron sheets from the site, treading carefully on ground sludgy with mud and ash.

Mattress springs, shattered crockery and burnt-out appliances were scattered among the debris. Some residents told Maverick Citizen they lost everything but the clothes they were wearing.

“It’s just the ground now. If we can remove those [metal] sheets, there’s nothing [left]. We only came out with one bag of clothes,” said Asanda Lizo, a Masiphumelele resident who works as a baboon monitor around the Cape Peninsula.

Lizo escaped the blaze with his wife and their two children, aged seven months and five years old. The family is now staying with Lizo’s uncle, about five minutes’ walk from where their shack burnt down.

“We managed to get out at around 2.30am… there were many people trying to move their stuff out. Some were trying to escape. They ran for their lives,” said Lizo.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning and had been brought under control by 8.20am, according to Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service. However, it is reported that a second fire started later in the day.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Masiphumelele fire destroys 100 structures — Gift of the Givers provides humanitarian aid”

While Disaster Risk Management estimated the number of destroyed dwellings at 100, Gift of the Givers CEO Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said it was more like 300-350.

“Immediately, of course, [affected residents] need food and water — it’s hot here… and they need to wash and to keep clean. So, we look at sending them detergents because I see there is a water supply,” said Sooliman.

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Gift of the Givers volunteers used the Kwa Nonzondelelo Methodist Church in Masiphumelele as a base of operations on Tuesday, handing out toiletry packs and food parcels to fire victims.

Ali Sablay, project manager at Gift of the Givers, said the number of residents needing assistance had grown to more than 600. Local community leaders assisted in compiling a list of those affected by the fire.

“Tomorrow, we’re bringing some washing powder and some necessary items for them to wash all the clothes that they have on at the moment. Just… for the next few days, at least in terms of clothes, they’ll be taken care of,” Sablay told Maverick Citizen.

“The [Methodist] church has made this place available for the residents to sleep in… and the local hall down the road has made the place available as well, so I’m arranging, urgently, some mattresses for them — it’s 600 or 700 mattresses, just for them to get some comfort at night.”

Anelisa Mditshwa told Maverick Citizen that she slept outside on Monday night. She lost all her possessions in the fire, including the clothes she had bought her children for Christmas.

“I just want the city to build us [something], even if it’s flats, so that we can be safe. We’re tired of shacks… a fire can come anytime.” She said it was the third time she had lost a home to fire.

While some residents have received building materials from their employers, many others do not have the resources to rebuild, according to Sooliman.

“I don’t have enough [building] material. So I tried just to make some space [at the site] because there’s some people going to take my space there,” said Xolani Tiba.

“I’m sleeping on my [site]… because they’re going to steal my stuff there.”

Gift of the Givers is aiming to provide building kits for residents, as well as clothes and uniforms for affected schoolchildren, according to Sooliman.

Fire prevention

Gift of the Givers has visited Masiphumelele at least four times in recent years due to fire disasters.

“It’s because we don’t space the houses out, and that’s a big problem. Although people are very enthusiastic, they’re resilient, they’re rebuilding… is this the way to live? The question is, would I want my child to grow up in a situation like this? The answer is, definitely not.”

Sooliman recommended that affected residents be provided with land on which to rebuild, with the specification that dwellings be built at least 1.5 metres from one another. 

“Set up committees within the informal settlement to say that this area can only hold 100 or 300 homes,” he said. “We’ve done that before… in Khayelitsha. We’ve done it in Duduza in Heidelberg, and we’ve done a big one in [Alexandra] in Johannesburg. So… it’s a model that we’ve done.

“The reality is people are going to keep building — you can’t escape that. So why don’t we control it and make sure that we don’t have the loss in terms of fire and life?” DM/MC

Those wishing to support Masiphumelele residents affected by the fire can use the following banking details:

Gift of the Givers
Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg
Account number 052137228
Branch code 057525

Use Masiphumelele Daily Maverick as a reference.

Send the deposit slip to donations@giftofthegivers.org for acknowledgement.