Johannesburg - "What I am wearing now is only that I’m left with, I have lost everything in this fire."
Those were the words of Snoyolo Ndawo who was among those who lost everything in Johannesburg, Alexandra township fire.
Ndawo from Eastern Cape said he came to Johannesburg to look for a job and he has been renting accommodation for five years.
“I was at work when I got a call that the fire has broke out and I rushed to my place but it was too late because my stuff had already burnt.”
On Thursday hundreds of people were left homeless after a fire broke out and destroyed more than 500 homes.
"I have been staying here for six years and I'm not working, I lost everything in this fire and I still don't believe that all my belongings are gone," Ziyanda Matwa said, trying to hold back tears. She said she did not know what to do next.
Themba Makhunga added that if government could help them and build RDP houses for them, they would appreciate it because they were effectively homeless. Makhunga said he had just bought a place after he got a job but all of that had been taken by the fire.
City of Johannesburg member of the mayoral council for public safety Michael Sun thanked a number of teams on site in Alexandra, who were helping displaced families with shelter, food and blankets.
He said emergency shelters were being arranged by the Disaster Management Unit and also acknowledged the efforts of other organisations such as Gift of the Givers, Zaka International Rescue Unit, as well as retailer Pick n Pay which had provided food for affected residents, the Al-Imdaad Foundation which had assisted with rehabilitation resources for firefighters and car rental firm Pace which had provided a truck to move household goods.