Devastating Fire in RR Section Khayelitsha – No Electricity! No Vote!

http://www.khayelitshastruggles.com/2008/11/fires-at-rr-section.html

Fire At RR Section, Khayelitsha, Cape Town

More than 100 shacks burned down over the weekend at RR Section Site B and left more than 500 people homeless including women, children and disabled people.

It was early in the morning past one on Saturday when the fire started at RR Section and it started at one shack which is owned by a 30 year old man, according to the neighbour’s he was drunk and left paraffin stove unattended and most people believed that he was the cause of the fire.

RR Section is a home to more than 6000 families and the area was established late 80’s, and the area does not have electricity , as a results of that people use illegal connections, other people get electricity from nearby neighbourhood which is serviced with electricity, Toilet and plots and others use illegal connections direct from electrical poles.

The are few chemical toilets at RR, and area is also flood prone. When its winter people at RR each an every year their houses are flooded.

Last week Thursday (06/11/08)the residents of RR, TR and Site C they barricaded lansdown Road with burning tyres and rubbish (waste) after the officials from Eskom escorted by the SAPS and Metro Police were cutting their illegal electric connections.

One week after the legitimate protest people more than 500 people at RR are homeless and instead of the City of Cape Town providing people with electricity that they have been demanding for the past 10 years, they chose to assist people of RR with blankets, Food, 5 sheets (zincs) and ten poles. According to Mr. Vango the illegal connection also contributed on spreading the fire easily. Yesterday (Sunday 09/11/08) while the president of the ANC Jacob Zuma was speaking at Langa campaigning for the ANC for next years elections, people at RR had a community meeting at they agreed that if their area is not electrified before 2009 elections they will not participate at next years bourgeois elections. No Electricity!! No Vote!! And Abahlali baseMjondolo Western Cape had a march last month on the 23rd October 2008 and they declared that No Land!! No house!! No Vote!! One of AbM’s demands is that all the informal settlements must be electrified and serviced with water and sanitation.

As a failure from City of Cape Town to Electrified RR section for the past 10 years, AbM Western Cape demands that the City to compensate all the fire victims at RR. As a result of the fire one person died and we call on the City to conduct the funeral.

for more info please call Mr. Vango at 0826880183