Du Noon residents are struggling to come to grips with what has been called the largest informal settlement fire in the Western Cape since the 2013 Khayelitsha fire, with ‘complete chaos as far as the eye can see’.

Residents are pleading for donations, food, clothes and water as they try to rebuild their lives after Friday’s fire razed their possessions to the ground. The fire obliterated 1,000 dwellings, leaving approximately 5,500 people displaced.

One of the residents and community leaders affected, Emihle Kanityi, 28, said that it has been a great loss, and that when the fire raged, people were at work and were unable to rescue any belongings.

“A lot of children don’t even have uniform to go back to school. They have no stationery, they don’t have anything. So we would really appreciate any donation in that department.

“I’m also the community leader, and I’m also affected by the fire. So we’re really trying our best to get everyone who’s gonna assist us in that department.

“We need food to eat. Other people don’t even have the materials to build their houses because they were away…they were in the Eastern Cape. So we have nothing,” Kanityi said.

“As you know, January is a very difficult month. As we are sitting here, we have nothing… We don’t even have any clothes to wear. I’m wearing the same clothes that I was wearing yesterday.”

Kanityi said that it has been really frustrating that people have posting on social media but they are not even assisting.

“At this point, we need a helping hand. We don’t need people who are gonna be there and just take a picture of us. The only thing that I’m gonna say is that we are all people. This might happen to us, and tomorrow it might happen to you.

“The only thing that we need from people is for them to come and assist us because there are people who are disabled here. There are children here. If you have water, especially if you live in the surrounding areas, if you have water in your place, you can come and assist us with that,” Kanityi said.

Another resident, Nomvuzo Mukumela, 47, said that the impact of the fire has been one of the worst that she has seen in her community.

“More than 5,000 people were left without homes, clothing, food, and some had their IDs and birth certificates burnt. It is a very devastating matter and experience, seeing people lose all their belongings like that.

“Many residents lost everything that they worked for, and it will be very difficult for them to start afresh, keeping in mind that we come from disadvantaged backgrounds and try by all means to get food on the table,” Mukumela said.

“There are a lot of them that lost even the school uniforms that they bought, so it’s a very sad situation.”

Kantyi added that they have had Gift of the Givers (GoTG) on the scene trying their best to assist with food and water.

GoTG’s Imtiaz Sooliman said that the fire devastation is probably the worst since the 2013 fire in Khayelitsha and that teams were on site when the fire started.

Spokesperson Ali Sablay added, “It’s devastation, and one of the worst fears came true when community members started to rebuild structures again in areas that have been condemned. It’s quite concerning, as there are still many wires lying around.

“There’s still sewerage pipes lying around, and community members are not heeding that call from the law enforcement and from the officials on the ground about the danger of building up the structures again.”

He said that there is a major need for humanitarian aid, with the numbers coming in by the hundreds.

“Gift of the Givers is providing daily meals, 5,000 breakfast, 5,000 lunch, 5,000 supper on a daily basis to the affected families. The situation is quite heartbreaking.

“Other parents are raising concerns that, you know, all their children are starting Grade R and Grade 1. Their documents have completely burned. They do not know how their children are going to go to school; they want their children away from this devastation, away from the site, as it is unsafe to be here at the moment.”

City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre established an on-site Joint Operations Centre in Du Noon to lead recovery efforts from the fire, spokesperson Charlotte Powell said.

Powell said that once all affected persons have been registered, the lists will be submitted to SASSA, the Provincial Department of Social Development and the National Department of Human Settlements for relief from their side.

“Donations from the public can be dropped off at the following fire stations: Goodwood, Roeland Street, Lakeside, Constantia, Hout Bay, Strand, Wynberg and Milnerton. These facilities are open 24 hours a day,” Powell said.

Mayco member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim, said that the City has made R12 million available for the site to be reblocked and have contractors on standby, ready to begin work immediately.

“Key City services are on-site and are ready to go. The City notes the rejection by the affected community of that reblocking intervention. It is important to place on record that the City is ready to respond. The necessary budget has been identified, contractors are on standby, and essential services are on site and ready to begin work immediately.

“The City’s ability to act is slowed by the absence of the directive required to enable an emergency housing response from the Minister of Human Settlements. This policy gap is creating delays at a time when residents urgently need assistance,” Pophaim said.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za

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