Cape Town - Five people including a 6-year-old girl, were killed in two separate shack fires, in Phola Park in Philippi and SST section in Town Two, Khayelitsha.
Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) chairperson Ndithini Tyhido blamed the City for “not caring about black lives”.
Town Two residents were woken by a raging fire early on Sunday. Two people were killed and about 25 were left homeless.
The City’s Fire & Rescue Service reported that the distress call was received shortly after midnight. By 2am, the fire had been extinguished.
Tyhido blamed the City for dragging its feet in signing a land availability agreement to accommodate the informal dwellers of Town Two.
“The City does not value black lives. Another two lives have been lost in SST, Town Two owing to yet another shack fire, in the exact spot where more than 300 shacks were gutted by a fire and for which the Silver Town Emergency Housing project was conceived by the then minister for human settlements Nomaindia Mfeketo, MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, and then MMC Thandeka Gqada.
“Till today this emergency housing project has not materialised due to the City of Cape Town refusing to sign a land availability agreement with the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements,” he said.
In a separate incident, in Phola Park in Philippi, ward councillor Zukisani Sophazi said a fire broke out at about 11pm on Sunday.
“Three shacks were completely destroyed, killing three individuals. A 6-year old girl died with two others who were visiting at the time of the incident. The two are said to be from Marcus Garvey informal settlement,” he said.
The reason for the fire is still unknown, but many believe it was due to load shedding, Sophazi said.
In response to Tyhido’s allegations, the City said: “The rezoning and subdivision application, which included the approval of a Silver Town site development plan, was approved on April 6, 2020. The developer has in the interim started some works on site.
“An application for the amendment of the approved plan of subdivision in order to accommodate the phasing of the development was submitted, and this application is currently nearing finalisation. The human settlements project is one by the Western Cape government.
“The City, Western Cape government and relevant stakeholders are addressing the issues at hand as a matter of urgency. The City will always do all in its power to improve the living conditions of its most vulnerable residents.”