Pholile informal settlement residents were left licking their wounds after a blaze ripped through the area on Saturday morning 9 April, leaving 12 people displaced.
Seven shacks were gutted, as the inferno easily erased them to the ground at about 04:40.
Luckily there were no fatalities or injuries.The cause of the fire is not known.
A resident Mwezi Lugwali said they had opened a local church to accommodate the victims.
“At this stage we all do not know or were not interested on what caused the fire. We are pleased no people died or were injured because in a blaze anything is possible,” he said.
“With the help of the ward councillor, we have been able to provide groceries to those affected by this blaze.
“The unfortunate thing, we still do not have proper electricity in this area and maybe when we have it, such incidents will be far less,” said Lugwali.
Ward 86 councillor Xolani Diniso appealed on everyone including businesspeople, churches and Good Samaritans to come to the rescue and donate whatever towards the victims.
Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for City’s Fire Service, said they received the call at 04:40.
“Fire crews from Strand, Sir Lowry’s Pass and Somerset West attended to the scene with three fire engines, one water tanker and 17 firefighters. The firefighters managed to contain and extinguish the blaze by 06:12.
“A total of seven informal structures were destroyed leaving 12 persons displaced. No injuries or fatalities were reported and the cause is unknown,” he said.