Cape Town’s Disaster Risk management has confirmed that a total of 75 structures have been gutted in the Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi, leaving nearly 380 people displaced in the second fire that broke out on Thursday.
The fire, the second in the settlement this week, was fueled by hot and very windy conditions. Residents say they’ve had a miserable start to the New Year.
New Year has started on a bleak note for some of the poorest residents of Cape Town.
Yet another fire has broken out in the Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi. On New Year’s Day, a woman died in a fire in the informal settlement.
240 structures gutted
So far more than 700 people were left homeless when 240 structures were destroyed. The second blaze broke out late on Thursday afternoon.
A resident, Nombeko Mpaliso says many of them lost all their possessions, while their homes have been reduced to ash and rubble.
“It’s New Year and we are really stressed because some of us we bought school uniforms already and we have babies that now we are struggling, they don’t have food and some of the people here around they have young children, babes like six months, one year, up to two years they don’t have nappies, they don’t have anything to feed them,” adds Mpaliso.
Phola Park informal settlement residents lose valuables in fire:
Government assistance
Another resident, Siyabonga Nqaku, has appealed to government for assistance. “Please, to government can you make a plan for the people, because a lot of people lost houses here, so please can you make something for the people.”
The community says they are still waiting to hear from authorities when those left displaced in the earlier fire, can start rebuilding. Many affected residents have sought shelter from neighbours and relatives.
The Chairperson of the Phola Park Committee in Philippi on the Cape Flats, Teenage Mtiyane, says more than 70 shacks have been razed by fire and more than 200 people left homeless in the latest incident.
Overload
“According to the owners and the neighbours, we suspect the electricity. It’s an overload of electricity because it was after load shedding, after the power came back this happened,” Mtiyane explains.
Mtiyane says yesterday’s fire victims lost everything and are temporarily living with family and friends in the community.
“Yes its 75 structures that are affected and all are gone. Its round about 200 people that are affected, all are scattered around between neighbours and families but a few are in the community hall that is nearby here Somershack by us,” he adds.
Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, says infrastructure assessments are continuing.
Powell explains, “Various city departments are on site and busy with assessments. Eskom to restore electricity, water and sanitation will attend to damaged infrastructure and solid waste will remove fire debris. The Department of Home Affairs was also activated to assist residents with their identity documents.”
Emergency and humanitarian aid organisations are on site, assisting with basic essentials and hot meals.
Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers says, “How many more fires are we going to put out, some of the people have been on the waiting list for 20 years. The population is increasing. In the past where there were only 2 or 3 people living in a structure, it’s gone up to 10. People are building on every available space, next to them, they are building double storey houses and sometimes when the firefighters reach out to these areas to put out the fire, they cannot gain access.”
Captured 📸: On-site with our teams at #DuNoon 📍 Cape Town, where a #Fire 🔥 destroyed several informal homes.
A devastated woman got out the taxi she was in, ran towards her home and fell to the ground sobbing uncontrollably at the loss of her life’s possessions 💔. pic.twitter.com/5sYPcYI2Qi
— Gift of the Givers (@GiftoftheGivers) December 30, 2022
