Mother and three children burned alive in Langa shack fire

Firefighters douse a fire in the Joe Slovo informal settlement which destroyed about ten shacks on Monday afternoon. It was the second shack fire of the day in Langa. Photos: Sandiso Phaliso

Two shack fires swept through informal settlements in Langa on Monday, killing a mother and her three children and destroying more than two dozen homes.

Residents of Siyahlala informal settlement told GroundUp they were woken by screams in the early hours of the morning.

Neighbours tried in vain to rescue Asavela Seti and her three children, from whose house the fire seemed to have spread. Their bodies were found under the debris after firefighters doused the fire.

The fire destroyed at least 15 shacks.

When GroundUp arrived on Monday afternoon, residents were clearing the debris. Affected families have lost almost all their belongings.

Siyabonga Ntshangase said the wind was strong. There is not a single water tap in the area, so residents could do little until firefighters arrived at the scene, he said.

“My cousin woke me up to say that the house was burning. We could not save anything,” Ntshangase said.

Mthuthuzeli Vika, another resident, said he had heard the screams for help from the Seti home and rushed out, but could do nothing because the flames were too intense.

He said he still hears in his mind the sounds of the children and their mother screaming for help.

Residents of Siyahlala informal settlement in Langa start rebuilding their homes after a devastating fire in the early hours of Monday morning.

Ntombi Mbuzeni, who is eight months pregnant, said she lost everything in the fire, including the clothing she had bought for her baby. “I am devastated by what happened. I don’t know where I will spend the night,” she said.

On Monday afternoon, at the Joe Slovo informal settlement a few hundred metres away, another fire broke out, destroying ten shacks. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg told GroundUp that Langa police are investigating Monday morning’s fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.

City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said firefighters managed to extinguish the morning blaze by 06:30.

Asked whether building kits would be provided, Mayco member for human settlements Carl Pophaim said the City’s Informal Settlement Management teams had completed their assessments in the area. He said all the required information has been collected and is currently being captured. “Once finalised, it will be submitted to the National Department of Human Settlements for assistance,” said Pophaim.

Western Cape Department of Social Development spokesperson Esther Lewis said the department will offer psychosocial support to affected families.

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