Domestic row blamed for fire that leaves 160 homeless

According to the City of Cape Town’s Deputy Head of Disaster Management, Wilfred Solomons, at least 160 people including 13 babies were displaced when the fire broke out.

Residents said the fire broke out after 10pm. They have accused a man of causing the fire by deliberately setting alight the shack he was living in following a domestic dispute with his girlfriend.

Residents claimed that the man went to buy fuel and the woman fled from the shack. They say the man returned and poured fuel on the shack and set it alight but the blaze spread through the closely clustered shacks.

Residents said firefighters responded in time but couldn’t contain the situation immediately because of the way the shacks are structured. The chaotic winds spread the fire in multiple directions.

Some residents GroundUp spoke to said they have lost everything. Some said they only had the clothes they were wearing. Losses included furniture, electric appliances, clothes, school uniforms. Damage is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of rand.

Mninawa Cakijana says he was drinking beer at a nearby sheeben when he heard about the fire. He said, “I just thought about my daughter and ran to rescue her. When I got home I found my wife still confused and grabbed the child from her and took her to a safer place.”

Cakijana who works as a driver says he lost his identity document and driver’s license. “I will be driving without a licence from Monday,” he says.

Asemahle Mabi, 12, plays in the ruins of the fire. Photo by Masixole Feni.

Xoliswa Poni says she lost a three piece cupboard she bought recently for R4,000, a wardrobe, couches, a double bed, a single bed, a television, DVD player and dishes.

Thembinkosi Dingiso’s shack is on the edge of the area that was burnt, and was unharmed. He said the group of residents in his line of shacks managed to contain the blaze because of the water taps close by. Dingiso said they are all affected because the fire caused an electricity blackout. Electricity had not been restored at the time this article was published on Monday 3 November.

Sindiswa Xhentsa is a community leader in the area. She says the incident happened at a bad time for the community. “This is the time when people are starting to buy stuff that they take or send to their relatives in the Eastern Cape. This incident will jeopardise all those plans. Many will end up not going home.”

She condemned the man who allegedly started fire and said it is better that he not come back because residents are angry and would harm him. Xhentsa said most people are satisfied with the amount of building material that the City of Cape Town Disaster Management supplied. She said they have also received help from the South African Social Security Agency and Red Cross.