At least 26 shacks were destroyed by fire in Tambo Square informal settlement, Mfuleni, leaving 70 people homeless, on Thursday 20 August. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

One of the victims of the shack fire, Nosandiso Tekwane, a mother of two, said she lost everything in the fire. She said the flames started around 23:00.

“I was already sleeping when it started. When I woke up, the flames were already overwhelming. I was unable to take mine and my family’s belongings out because the flames were so close, and we would have been unable to walk through the lanes with full bags because they are so narrow.” She said they now faced the burden of finding a place to stay. She said her relatives are in Masiphumelele, Kommetjie.

“I don’t know where we are going to sleep”

“I don’t know where we are going to sleep. We don’t have food, clothes or even blankets; all burnt in the fire.”

Another resident, Unathi Mviko, said it was not the first time she had been caught in a shack fire in the area; in 2016, she was in a similar situation.

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The City’s spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Service, Jermaine Carelse, said the department received a call at 23:05 on Thursday, 19 August, reporting informal structures alight in Tokwana Street, Mfuleni.

At least 24 shacks destroyed in Mfuleni shack fire

“Firefighting crews from several stations responded to the scene, including the Incident Management Team (IMT), Type 4. The fire was extinguished at 00:50. Preliminary assessments indicated that 26 informal structures were destroyed, resulting in the displacement of 70 residents.” He said no injuries were reported.