Cape Times: ‘Shacks burn – we need houses’

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/shacks-burn-we-need-houses-1.1008246

‘Shacks burn – we need houses’

January 5 2011 at 10:41am
By Xolani Koyana
shack fire

Lulama Saki, with son Akholiwe, 2, was among 72 left homeless after a fire ripped through 31 shacks in Doornbach near Dunoon. Photo: Gareth Smit.

Lulama Saki has had to pick up the pieces three times because of shack fires.

On Tuesday she was rebuilding her home which was among 31 shacks destroyed by a blaze at the Doornbach informal settlement near Dunoon. For the third time in 12 years she has lost everything to fire.

Although officials were to investigate the cause of the fire, residents alleged that one of them had been cooking in his house when he left the stove unattended.

Shortly before 1am the man shouted that his house was on fire, residents said.

Firefighters were called to the scene and the fire was brought under control before 2am, Cape Town Fire and Rescue said.

Saki, who lived in a four-room shack with her husband and two children, was one of 72, including 27 children, left homeless as a result of the fire. No deaths or injuries were reported.

“This is the third time my shack has been destroyed since we moved here in 1998.

“We are grateful for the new materials but even if we rebuild there will be another fire, what people need are houses,” Saki said.

She said they were asleep when a neighbour knocked on the side of her shack warning them of the fire, which had already reached their shack so they could not save anything.

“When we went outside to check what was happening, we saw people scrambling trying to save their belongings.

“When we went back inside the fire had already destroyed one side of the shack.

“Everything was destroyed, the only clothes we have are the ones we have on right now.”

Another resident, Welcome Mendile, only managed to salvage a television and a radio.

“When we heard screams I went outside to check what was happening, the fire was already gutting the shack in front of our house. It reached us so quickly we could only take the TV and radio.

“Everything else went with the fire,” Mendile said.

Less than three months ago a fire destroyed 50 homes and left more than 200 people homeless in Doornbach. – Cape Times