Johannesburg - Standard Bank has donated R1 million to the Gift of the Givers for urgent disaster relief efforts after a devastating fire destroyed about 1000 informal dwellings in Masiphumelele on Friday morning.
Firefighters from the City of Cape Town, Table Mountain National Park and Working on Fire responded to the scene at about 1am and successfully put out the fire.
They also responded to and contained a fire on the mountain slopes above Victoria Road between Bakoven and Llandudno.
No injuries were reported at the Masiphumelele informal settlement, but more than a thousand structures were destroyed. The fire was fanned by gale-force winds.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the non-profit organisation was distributing hot meals for the over 5000 people who had been displaced from their homes.
The organisation is also assisting the distressed and displaced with sanitary pads, diapers, hygiene packs, mattresses, blankets, food parcels and they would also provide corrugated iron sheeting to help those displaced rebuild their homes.
Speaking to IOL on Friday afternoon, Ali Sablay, a Gift of the Givers volunteer, described the fire as “total destruction”.
“This is total destruction for this community which was already feeling depressed because of the Covid and it comes so close to Christmas, some people have lost whatever little savings they still had and their possessions have been totally burnt completely in the fire,” he said.
Sablay said the organisation was in talks with the City of Cape Town so that it could urgently accommodate the displaced at community halls while interventions were sought to rebuild their informal dwellings which were ravaged by the fire.
“It’s a disaster for everyone, we have school children whose school clothes and books have totally burnt out, and some of the elderly are saying they thought Covid was bad, but at least they had a roof over their head, now they are homeless,” he said.
Sablay said the organisation would use the donation from the bank to seek urgent disaster relief, provide meals, sanitary products and hygiene kits to young and old.
“We need to get everyone back in their homes as quickly as possible and from there, we will have to see how we can assist each family perhaps with a Christmas food pack,” he said.
To assist, contact Gift of the Givers volunteer Ali Sablay on 082651 4195.
IOL