A 28-year-old man died and more than 30 people, including children, were left homeless when 12 shacks caught fire yesterday (9 July) at Ramaphosa informal settlement in Philippi.
Nyanga Police Station Visible Police Commander Lt-Col William Appels said an inquest docket has been opened.
According to a resident, who described herself as Pamela, the fire started after 00:00.
She said she lost everything.
“I was already sleeping. I heard people shouting ‘Fire! Fire!‘. I woke up and ran outside. The flames were already so big and they spread so fast to other shacks,” said Pamela, adding that she could not save her stuff.
She said they lost almost everything.
Pamela said they were concerned about their sleeping places.
“We did not eat the whole day and we do not know where we are going to sleep,” she said, adding they did not get any support from the government.
When City Vision visited the area on Sunday afternoon, some victims cleared rubble from their plots while others sat and chatted.
