Joe Slovo, Langa fire victims 'sleeping in the open' as they wait for building materials

Victims of a shack fire in Joe Slovo, Langa, say that they have been sleeping in the open since Wednesday due to a delay in the provision of building materials. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency (ANA)

Victims of a shack fire in Joe Slovo, Langa, say that they have been sleeping in the open since Wednesday due to a delay in the provision of building materials. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Nov 23, 2020

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Cape Town - Victims of a shack fire in Joe Slovo, Langa, say that they have been sleeping in the open since Wednesday due to a delay in the provision of building materials.

At the weekend, the residents staged a protest on the corner of Bluegum Street and Jakes Gerwel Drive, burning tyres and blocking traffic.

The fire, which is believed to have been caused by an illegal electric connection, gutted more than 80 shacks and left 120 people homeless.

Meanwhile, Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie wrote to Langa ward councillor Samkelo John, asking John to engage with the community on “ongoing protests”, saying they had a ripple effect on Bonteheuwel and posed a huge safety concern for residents.

Essential services had been affected and people were struggling to get to and from work. He said the matter was frustrating for the people of Bonteheuwel, and that all the resources being deployed to stop a “handful of individuals could be used for fighting gangsterism and serious issues”.

Joe Slovo resident Thandokazi Msalela said the fire had started in the shack of a resident who was at work at the time. “The fire was fanned by strong winds, which caused it to spread to more shacks,” Msalela said.

“The fire brigades could not reach other shacks as they were unable to drive through the narrow roads, which led to more people becoming victims. This is the second fire in our area this year, and this is unsettling. We are still waiting for assistance in terms of food and building materials,” she said.

John previously said that the victims would receive materials to rebuild their homes and that the SA Social Security Agency would provide them with hot meals and blankets.

However, the residents said they were still waiting for the building materials. “We were told that we can only receive building materials when Eskom has fixed the pole that was affected by the fire. However, they also want residents whose structures were not affected to also move, which is impossible because there’s nowhere to move us,” Msalela said.

Cape Argus

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