HUNDREDS of poor families were left destitute after six fires ravaged several informal settlements over seven days, killing at least four people.
This week, fires broke out in Philippi, Masiphumelele, Dunoon, Khayelitsha and Strand.
The latest blaze destroyed 81 homes in the early hours of yesterday morning in Town Two, Khayelitsha - leaving 192 people destitute.
Phola Park residents were devastated when two fires within four days of one another raised their homes, leaving them scrambling to find accommodation.
“Those who do not have families and relatives to stay with will probably join the families that have found shelter at the Super Shack community hall,” said Phindiwe Mtiyane.
A community leader in Dunoon Vincent Jaxa said a fire that broke out in their area was the third one in as many years.
Jaxa said it was heartbreaking to see the elderly and disabled people helpless after they lost their belongings in a fire that broke out on December 30.
“Some lost stationery, uniforms for their grandchildren, and important documents.
“We are still waiting for help from the City. Fortunately, non-governmental organisations and businesses in Milnerton have come to our rescue, providing the essentials like blankets, food, mattresses.“
Simamkele Ngqongwa, 18, was alone at home in Dunoon when the fire broke out and managed to save only a suitcase with clothes and trophies she received for academic excellence at Sunridge Circle High School in Table View.
“My mother is visiting our family in the Eastern Cape. Community members and leaders are now helping me rebuild our home. However, I still don’t know where I will receive stationery to start the academic year.”
The incidents brought to the fore the rising housing crisis in a province where over half a million people were still waiting for houses, some for over 30 years.
Affected families who started rebuilding their lives said they were still waiting on support from the City of Cape Town.
The ANC’s caucus in the metro said it was concerned that the “right to adequate housing was being violated” by the City of Cape Town.
“Housing shortage places great pressure on the environment and also poses challenges to security and social cohesion,“ said the party’s leader of opposition in the City, Banele Majingo.
While the party acknowledged that the causes of the fires were “complex and multifaceted” it accused the City of failing to address housing issues, resulting in the growth of illegal and poorly serviced informal settlements.
“If this is not given urgent attention, the City of Cape Town is going to face an unprecedented housing crisis. The shortage of human settlements, leaves residents open to the possibility of fires particularly in informal settlements,” said Majingo.
He added that the illegal electricity connection in the informal settlements posed fire risks.
“This nonsense of the City saying it doesn’t have money to build more low cost housing is absolutely not true. We currently sit with quite a few housing development projects in and around the city that are almost all behind schedule and there’s no urgency from the City’s side to complete them.
The Good Party also called for the immediate implementation of interventions to help reduce the spread of fires by re-blocking areas to create safe spaces in between structures.
“For this, we need a responsible and active government that works to actively implement such safety measures, instead of just reacting to the devastation of a fire. We also need all sectors, from Sassa to local government, to do their part in terms of disaster management and law enforcement to prevent fires,” said Councillor Suzette Little.
She said that between 2011 and 2016 the City undertook a land audit and found 3 000 pieces of land which could possibly be used for housing.
“The blueprint handed over to the Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2018 projects 14 000 units per annum. This would not address the shortage of housing but certainly would go a long way in assisting the communities.“
Little blamed lack of housing on poor planning saying money continued to be “wasted on tenders” that were allegedly not correctly implemented or constantly rolled over.
“Many projects in places such as Gugulethu and Kensington have simply been forgotten.“
Al Jama-ah also urged the three spheres of government to release land to meet the housing needs of those who lived in informal settlements.
“The state also needs to work with businesses to provide interest-free housing loans or provide guarantees for loans needed by their employees,” said the party, adding that the spread of informal settlements was also aided by the rise of illegal and undocumented immigrants.
The City said its teams had completed the beneficiary registration and all data had been submitted to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to provide assistance to affected residents.
Mayco member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi said due to “cuts” in national grants, the City stopped providing building materials outside of a declared disaster.
Booi said as much as R314 million was spent on roadways and stormwater canal upgrades in informal settlements in the last financial year.
No details of which informal settlements benefited from the budget allocation were provided.
“The City of Cape Town is committed to delivering more affordable housing in the metro,” said Booi.
Weekend Argus