Cape Town - Mop-up perations in Masiphumelele, Fish Hoek, are under way while numerous organisations have stepped in to offer immediate humanitarian relief to the fire victims.
On Monday a fire ravaged 375 shacks in Z-section of the Masiphumelele informal settlement and left an estimated 1 800 people displaced.
No fatalities or injuries were reported.
This is the second fire the informal settlement has had in less than a month. A fire erupted last month and destroyed hundreds of shacks.
One person died while two were admitted to hospital.
Community development worker Nelisa Dondolo said that according to reports, the fire started after a resident left a stove on when the area experienced load shedding. She said rampant fires in the area were concerning, especially at this time of the year.
City’s Disaster Risk Management officer Sonica Lategan said that they registered all affected people and as of Monday last night, 809 people had been registered.
She said the process was continuing yesterday, with the assistance of the City’s Informal Settlements Management Department.
Lategan said initial assessments indicated infrastructural damage to electrical overhead lines, water taps and toilets.
Yesterday City departments were on site, including Electricity, Solid Waste Management, and Water and Sanitation. Law Enforcement and Traffic Services were also on the scene.
Lategan said a multidisciplinary team including Sassa, the Department of Social Development, and Human Settlements would consider further options to provide relief to the affected people.
Community leader Mkhululi Msiki rubbished claims made by the City that the residents threatened firefighters and attempted to seize their hose lines.
Msiki said the firefighters arrived with a hose that had numerous holes which he said led to the waste of water and many unaffected shacks were drenched in water as a result.
He said a hose was left unattended and burnt from the fire.
Msiki said the “quarrel” started when residents tried to assist the firefighters to extinguish the fire.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers stepped in to assist with immediate relief after the fire started.
Spokesperson Ali Sablay said the organisation on Monday night distributed 1 500 meals within three hours.
“We gave out blankets and water to the victims. Today (yesterday) we are here to provide them with hot meals and also distribute toiletry packs which include toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary pads, and baby care packs.
“Many of them had nothing to wash with in the morning or to brush their teeth. Tomorrow we’ll be delivering some mattresses as well. The people are still busy registering and we will have the final number of the affected people in the evening once everything is done,” he said.
Sablay said the organisation would be at the site for the next five days providing urgent humanitarian needs.