More than 50 people were left homeless when at least 29 shacks caught fire in three separate incidents in Khayelitsha last week.
All the fires broke out in Ward 93.
In the first incident, on Wednesday 28 September, 13 shacks were gutted at K2 Section informal settlement, leaving 23 people homeless.
A total of 27 people were left with nothing when another fire broke out at Greenpoint on Saturday 1 October, while seven people are now without shelter after their three shacks also caught fire on Sunday 2 October at the SST informal settlement.
Ward councillor Thando Pimpi described the situation as devastating. He said they are trying to find help for the victims.
According to Pimpi, the such an incident is the first for the ward.
“There are some areas that used to be affected by shack fires in my ward but it never happened three times in one week,” he said, adding that the majority of the victims are unemployed so cannot buy building material.
He appealed on Good Samaritans to come forward.
“It’s not clear what caused these fires, and we don’t want to speculate. We will wait for the police to come with the report,” Pimpi said, adding that the fire at K2 Section started at 06:00, while the one in Greenpoint broke out around 16:00. The last fire started at 02:00, he stated.
Pimpi stated that some of the victims are currently with relatives and friends.
While victims of the K2 Section and some families at SST have started rebuilding their shacks, many of the Greenpoint victims are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Manelisi Makwenkwe, from Greenpoint, said he lost all his belongings.
“I was at work when the incident started. I received a call from one of my friends informing me that my shack was on fire and they were unable to take out my stuff because of the flames. Now, I’m staying with my girlfriend in Qandu-qandu,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of Khayelitsha police station Col Wendy Strauss confirmed that no fatalities or injuries were reported.