Many left homeless over the weekend following informal settlement fires

The City of Cape Town has completed assessments following fires that left over 400 people homeless in informal settlements over the weekend.

The fires destroyed informal structures in the Vukuzenzele Informal Settlement in Nyanga, in Du Noon and in the Nomzanmo Informal Settlement in Hout Bay.

The fire in Nomzamo affected more than 300 people.

‘’ DRM has notified relevant departments including SASSA and DSD to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of food, clothing, blankets and mattresses; the City’s Informal Settlements Management Branch was activated as well as the Solid Waste Department to remove fire debris from the affected areas,’’ said Sonica Lategan, City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson.

‘’In Nomzamo, a Joint Operations Centre has been established in the area where 185 structures were destroyed by fire late last night. Eskom was called in due to live wires hampering disaster recovery efforts. They’ve since disconnected the electricity supply to make the area safe. Our Solid Waste Department will clear the fire debris in the morning. The formal assessment has been completed, determining that 336 people have been affected by this incident,’’ she added.

 

Done By: Elona Sibunzi

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