Cause of R18m damage in devastating Masiphumelele fire identified; most debris cleared
21 December 2020
The Executive Mayor Dan Plato today visited Masiphumelele to check on the progress of clearing the site as the City awaits disaster relief funding from national government. Preliminary investigations have revealed the likely cause to be an attempted land invasion where reeds were set alight to clear land, leading to the destruction of 1300 dwellings and displacing more than 5000 people on Thursday evening, 17 December 2020.
‘Disaster management officials have announced that this fire was likely caused by an attempted land invasion. It is shameful that a humanitarian disaster, resulting in the total loss of people’s homes and belongings, has been caused by criminal elements. Because of this criminality, thousands will now spend their Christmas having to rebuild their structures. I strongly urge anyone with information to come forward to bring those responsible to book as we must send a strong message to discourage this criminal behaviour from affecting the lives and well-being of our residents,’ said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
On 18 December 2020, Alderman Dan Plato, signed the Local Disaster Declaration to begin a process to access relief funding from the national government, in terms of Section 55 of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act 57 of 2002).
In terms of the R18 million relief funding application, this would include the fire kits, re-establishing electricity connections and water infrastructure.
The process for a disaster declaration is well under way and was confirmed with Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, who indicated that the request will be tabled at a full cabinet meeting tomorrow.
As we await relief funding to become available from national government, City of Cape Town officials remain hard at work assisting residents. Funding will be channeled from national through the Western Cape government as per legislated requirements. The City is doing its best to expedite the process as far as its powers allow.
A multi-agency and department response has been ongoing at the site to ensure an urgent response to the residents’ plight:
Four bulldozers are on site, clearing the significant volume of debris, which has been complicated by the fact that it is in a wetland, making the ground soft and difficult for these heavy duty vehicles to manoeuvre. However, Solid Waste Management Department officials are making good progress at clearing the affected site, which has now been 80 percent cleared.
The City’s Informal Settlements Management Department has worked non-stop to screen and register 1300 fire-affected heads of household thus far. All the members of the households have been verified as well. The process has been completed. The Informal Settlements Management Department continues to assist with queries on site. The registration process includes special assistance to medically vulnerable people who are in need of medication that has been destroyed in the fire and assistance to the elderly.
Once fully cleared and the area treated and formally re-established, plots will be demarcated and proof of residence certificates will be issued to the registered affected residents, subject to the pending national disaster declaration. The City urges the leadership structures to encourage affected residents not to attempt to rebuild on the site until the City gives the go ahead and all necessary processes have been followed. This might take a while and will not happen overnight.
Electrical infrastructure, a substation as well as toilets, taps and standpipes have been destroyed. This must be reinstated when the site has been cleared. This cannot be done if the residents who are affected start rebuilding prematurely.
With the declaration of a local disaster now formalised, the kits can begin to be distributed once the funding comes through and after all the necessary site re-establishment has taken place. Unfortunately, this cannot happen overnight as it is a very complex and intricate process. City Law Enforcement is on site to prevent the premature rebuilding of structures as the site is not yet safe for rebuilding.
The City is adding a storage facility for donated items. Thanks to the generous donations and concern from Capetonians, additional storage is required because of the large volumes of donations that have been received. The City of Cape Town is grateful for the assistance of Gift of the Givers, Living Hope, Respond Church Consortium and Emmanuel TV for its humanitarian assistance.
An on site Joint Operations Centre was established by the City’s Disaster Risk Management and regular briefings with all the important role-players are taking place to facilitate coordination and management of the disaster.
There is still an appeal to members of the public to please donate essential items such as blankets, baby food, nappies, baby milk and non-perishable food to Living Hope in Masiphumelele.
As a City, we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of accessing the national disaster funding.
The process of a formal disaster declaration is now required due to national government budget cuts.
This resulted in the City no longer being able to offer the extra service of fire and flood kits provision to residents outside of declared disasters.
For more than a decade, Cape Town was the only metro in South Africa that offered this additional service outside of a declared disaster.
National grant funding was used in the past to fund the procurement and issuing of building kits, irrespective of a disaster being declared. By circumventing the disaster declaration process, beneficiaries could be assisted with kits within days of a fire occurring and a site being re-established. Due to the cut in the national grant, the process will be a bit more drawn out, but we continue to work hard to get the relief to our affected residents in the shortest possible time.
To donate, please contact Living Hope which is coordinating the relief efforts: 082 465 9067. The City thanks Living Hope, Gift of the Givers, Respond Church Consortium and Emmanuel TV for their assistance.
It is believed many affected residents are staying with friends and family in the area.
The South African Social Security Agency has been in contact with the City’s Human Settlements Department to provide social relief assistance.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
