City assisting Masiphumelele fire victims, donations requested

17 December 2020

City of Cape Town Fire Services, Disaster Risk Management, Human Settlements teams and other officials are on scene in Masiphumelele where a fire has torn through approximately 1 000 dwellings (initial counts). Emergency services are battling to bring the fire under control primarily due to the gale force winds. The City appeals to members of the public to please donate essential items such as blankets, baby food, nappies, baby milk and non-perishable food to the organisation Living Hope in Masiphumelele.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, will visit the area early tomorrow morning, 18 December 2020, for a first-hand account of the damage.

Once the fire has been brought under control, the City will start to conduct a verification process of the affected residents; the City’s Solid Waste Management Department will clear the debris; sites will be demarcated and affected residents will be issued with a proof of residence certificate as proof of their residency in future when they rebuild or are issued with emergency kits in accordance with the disaster declaration.

The City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, has indicated that he will declare a local disaster within the next 72 hours and the Western Cape Government has been engaged already for an emergency gazetting of the local disaster, which is expected by next week. Thereafter, funds for the emergency relief material will be able to be accessed. The City will do its best to expedite the process as far as it is within its power to do so.

‘This is in terms of a new process. Due to National Government budget cuts, the City is no longer able to offer the extra service of providing fire and flood kits to residents outside of declared disasters. For more than a decade, the City delivered a unique service by issuing emergency fire building kits to residents as soon as they had been affected by a fire. Cape Town is the only metro in South Africa that offered this additional service outside of declared disasters.

‘The National Department of Human Settlements however has drastically reduced housing funding to all provinces due to the National Government’s weak financial situation. The City continues to call for conditional grants not to be cut and for other solutions to be found nationally,’ said Councillor Booi.

It is believed many affected residents will be staying with friends and family in the area.

To donate, please contact Living Hope who is coordinating the relief efforts: 082 465 9067

The City is doing everything humanly possible to assist our affected residents.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office