Nonprofit groups have stepped in to provide humanitarian aid to residents of Masiphumelele township near Fish Hoek after yet another fire broke out on Monday morning.

While the blaze was not yet completely under control by late afternoon, firefighters had managed to contain it to a single area, according to Ali Sablay, project manager at Gift of the Givers. Some fire staff were focused on extinguishing flare-ups in the sections that had already burnt.

The aftermath of the devastating fire in Masiphumelele, Cape Town near the township’s wetlands. (Photo Brenton Geach)

Masiphumelele residents pass buckets of water to help put out Monday’s fire. (Photo: Brenton Geach)

“The smoke is very, very strong on site, and [the affected area is] much bigger than the previous one we’ve been to,” said Sablay. “It’s about three times bigger [than last time].”

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Fire rages in Masiphumelele – the second blaze in a month”

Gift of the Givers provided assistance in the wake of a fire that burnt through sections of Masiphumelele on 31 October, less than a month before Monday’s blaze. The previous fire destroyed 309 shacks and displaced more than 600 people.

Just before 1pm on Monday, Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, told Maverick Citizen that the number of people who had been displaced by the fire remained unknown.

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“Disaster Risk Management will conduct a post-assessment once the incident has been brought under control,” he said.

Residents on rooftops where many homes were destroyed in the Masiphumelele fire on Monday. (Photo Brenton Geach)

A schoolgirl walks through the devastation. Many schoolchildren face exams without stationery destroyed in the blaze. (Photo: Brenton Geach)

Maverick Citizen asked the City of Cape Town for an update on the state of the fire and the number of people affected, but had not received a response at the time of publishing.

“We just tried to make a list of the people affected right now,” said Avril Thomas, programme director at Living Hope, a nonprofit organisation with a centre near Masiphumelele.

“It’s estimated there are at least 150 houses that have been burnt, where everything has just been destroyed, and that’s averaged [at] just over 800 people. But as yet we are still trying to work that out.”

Gift of the Givers is attempting to arrange stationery for the children who returned from school to find their homes and possessions destroyed, according to Sablay.

“Some people are still coming from work now, and that’s so emotional to see… when they are coming home and they see their stuff just completely burnt out. Children came home from school and are now only left with the uniform on their backs.

Residents survey the area where their homes were destroyed in Monday’s fire in Masiphumelele. (Photo: Brenton Geach)

Resident’s belongings saved from Monday’s fire in Masiphumelele. (Photo: Brenton Geach)

Resident’s belongings saved from Monday’s fire in Masiphumelele. (Photo: Brenton Geach)

“Those who were at home studying, their stationery is all burnt and they have [nothing] to write their exams tomorrow. So we tried to arrange stationery at this hour, so that at least they can go to school tomorrow to write their papers.”

Sablay told Maverick Citizen that Gift of the Givers’ trucks were en route with 1,500 blankets and food to support more than 1,000 people. The NPO will be on site for the next five days, providing supplies such as bottled water, hygiene packs, mattresses and babycare goods.

Urgent needs

“The most urgent needs at the moment are going to be school uniforms, toiletry packs [and] any form of blankets,” he said.

Living Hope is assisting with compiling lists of affected residents, feeding victims and distributing donations, according to Thomas.

“[The South African Social Security Agency] usually donates to every person a mattress and a blanket and hygiene pack, and so we’ll wait for that, and then Living Hope will oversee the distribution of those goods to each home,” she explained.

The fire spread from the Masiphumelele wetlands close to homes in Lake Michelle. (Photo Brenton Geach)

Earlier in the day, Carelse told Maverick Citizen that SAPS and law enforcement were needed at the scene of the fire, as community members trying to get to their possessions had hampered the work of the firefighters.

“The unrest came [because]… the access point [to the affected area] was a small access point, and there weren’t enough exits for people to leave,” said Sablay.

“That’s when the panic came in and people started fighting because they wanted to get their belongings out. That’s when the chaos started, but otherwise everything was calm.” 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

Send the deposit slip to [email protected] for acknowledgement.

Items for donation can be dropped off at the Gift of the Givers office in Cape Town or at Living Hope on Kommetjie Road, Cape Town.