Durban - KwaZulu-Natal acting premier Ravi Pillay visited the victims of the shack fire that broke out last night at the Jika Joe informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg at the weekend.
On Sunday, Pillay visited the area after the blaze destroyed 97 informal dwellings and 164 people homeless.
Accompanied by Msunduzi Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla and senior officials from KZN Cogta, Pillay did a walkabout of the settlement.
Speaking at the scene, Pillay expressed his sadness at this unfortunate incident which has come at a time when KZN is still recovering from the inclement weather conditions that devastated the province in October and November.
“We are saddened by what we see before us today and we feel for the families that had to go through the traumatic experience of losing their belongings. We are thankful to the Almighty that there were no injuries or deaths in this fire," said Pillay.
Those who have been affected by the incident have been moved into a temporary shelter at one of the community halls close to the area.
"We are thankful for the ongoing support that is coming from the non-governmental sector as we continue to provide interim relief to the affected people,” said Pillay.
He said teams from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) will also visit the area where they will assist those in need.
Last week, hundreds of people were left homeless after a shack blaze at an informal settlement in Kenville.
The fire on Tuesday afternoon left about 200 people homeless. Many residents had to scramble for accommodation for the night after heavy rains fell in parts of the city on Tuesday.