About 70 were displaced by a fire in the Kapteinsklip shanty town in Tafelsig on Sunday.
About 70 people were left displaced by a fire in the Kapteinsklip shanty town in Yellowwood Street, Tafelsig, on Sunday, says the fire department.
According to City Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse, firefighters were called out to the scene at 3.35pm.
“Fire crews from Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Mitchell’s Plain were on scene. By 5:50pm the fire was extinguished. The cause of the blaze is unclear, and no injuries or fatalities were reported,” Mr Carelse said.
Ward 82 councillor Washiela Harris said on Monday that 16 dwellings had been destroyed in the blaze.
“I was there this morning and it is devastating. As yet, we do not have the fire report, and nothing can be done without it.
“The report will be ready by Wednesday hopefully. Then they can go to Sassa (the South African Social Security Agency) for assistance. I am also in communication with the premier's office for assistance,” Ms Harris said.
A devastated Nawaal de Beer and her family are still coming to terms with the loss of their home and possessions in the fire.
Ms De Beer, 39, her husband Denver, 42, and their two children, aged 3 and 13, have been living in the settlement since 2020.
The couple and their children have since moved in with Ms De Beer’s mother in Portland.
Ms De Beer was at work on Sunday when she received a call about the fire.
“My husband was asleep in our place when the fire broke out. Apparently, someone made a fire outside their shack, the wind started picking up and their shack burnt down, spreading to the rest of the shacks.
“I received the call while I was at work and felt very emotional. All of my stuff burnt out. We have nothing left,” Ms De Beer said.
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