- Shack-fire victims at SST informal settlement in Town Two received clothes and furniture from the Khayelitsha police officers on Monday 6 November.
- The initiative came after the area was ravaged by fire on Sunday 29 October.
- The fire destroyed at least 152 shacks and left two people dead, and more than 500 homeless.
Shack-fire victims at SST informal settlement in Town Two, Khayelitsha were exhilarated on receiving clothes and furniture from the Khayelitsha police officers on Monday 6 November. The initiative came after the area was ravaged by fire on Sunday 29 October, which destroyed at least 152 shacks and left two people dead, burnt beyond recognition, and more than 500 homeless.
Community leader Lunga Mathafeni praised the officers for the great initiative. He said the contribution meant a lot as most of the people had lost their belongings in the inferno.
“We thanked the officers for the clothes and bedding they gave us. It is tough here. Some of us are trying to rebuild our shacks while others are still struggling.” Mathafeni pointed out most people in the area were unemployed and proper housing opportunities were few and uncertain.
READ | Hundreds left homeless in Khayelitsha, Cape Town after a shack fire ravaged the area
Khayelitsha police spokesperson Constable Asanda Daweti said officers saw a need to assist wherever they could. She said the police station was attempting to build a relationship with the community. “We want to build trust and a relationship between us and the community. We want people not to see us as animals, but as part of the community as well.”