Cape Town - Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is on Tuesday expected to meet Masiphumelele leaders to present a proposed long-term solution for structures that have been repeatedly destroyed by fires over the past few years.
The City of Cape Town on Monday said preliminary investigations showed the likely cause to be an attempted land invasion where reeds were set alight to clear land, leading to the destruction of 1 300 dwellings and displacing more than 5 000 people.
Sisulu has already met various role players including non-governmental organisations, community leaders and the Western Cape government.
“South Africans have shown once again that Ubuntu is in our blood. You have shown the people of Masiphumelele that you care. Your donations with various items including food have gone a long way in responding to the need of our community members in dire need of help,” said Sisulu.
Mayor Dan plato this week signed the Local Disaster Declaration to begin a process to access relief funding from the national government, in terms of Section 55 of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act 57 of 2002).
The City said that the R18 million in the relief funding application was for fire kits, re-establishing electricity connections and water infrastructure, among others.
“As we await relief funding to become available from national government, City of Cape Town officials remain hard at work assisting residents. Funding will be channelled from national through the Western Cape government as per legislated requirements. The City is doing its best to expedite the process as far as its powers allow.”
Four bulldozers were on site on Monday clearing debris, and the City’s Informal Settlements Management Department has registered 1 300 fire-affected heads of households so far.
They said once fully cleared, plots will be demarcated and proof-of-residence certificates will be issued to the registered affected residents, subject to the pending national disaster declaration.
Cape Times