Cape Town - The resettlement of close to 1 500 fire victims has hit a snag as the City blames the national government’s grant cuts for its failure to provide the shack dwellers with starter kits to rebuild their homes.
Touring through four of the areas affected by devastating fires over the past few weeks, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi on Tuesday hinted that her department would provide the starter kits.
Kubayi, alongside human settlements Mayco member Malusi Booi, inspected the informal settlements and spoke to some of the fire victims about planned interventions.
It was during these inspections that the residents, especially in Town Two, Khayelitsha, aired their frustrations.
On December 30, 233 people were displaced in Du Noon when a fire ravaged 106 structures while three people died and four were injured in Masiphumelele the following day.
A day after, a woman sustained fatal burn wounds when a fire swept through 247 structures in Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi which affected 760 people.
A stone’s throw away from where the fire initially started, another fire destroyed 75 structures five days later, displacing a further 378 people. The latest fire was reported in Town Two, Khayelitsha, on Saturday where 192 people were left homeless.
Although the fire victims in Dunoon and Khayelitsha had started rebuilding their shacks with the damaged materials and no proper spacing, those in Masiphumelele and Phola Park were yet to put up their structures.
The surface in these two informal settlements remains clear of what used to be their homes, as the victims are awaiting assistance they might receive.
The City’s discontinued provision of building starter kits remains one of the victims’ concerns as they struggle to rebuild their homes, but the City attributed the discontinuation to the national government’s grant cuts.
Phola Park community leader Fezile Sibhidla said the victims were sleeping outside while others had sought refuge from immediate family members and the community hall.
Kubayi pleaded with the residents to ensure that their shacks were re-blocked while the government was looking at long-term solutions to eradicate informal settlements.
Kubayi said clustered shacks posed an on-going threat. In eradicating informal settlements, she said the department planned to move the deserving into proper housing.
Kubayi discouraged the illegal occupation of land which she said resulted in disasters and loss of life. She said she would engage law enforcement agencies to sort out the sale of land which she said led to illegal occupation and suffering.
Booi confirmed that a funding application was made to the national department and that the City was awaiting approval.