The Nomzamo community is rallying behind affected families after a fatal shack fire which claimed the lives of three children on Saturday night (1 August), with Ward 86 councillor Xolani Diniso urgently calling for donations.
According to spokesperson Michael Abrahams, the City of Cape Town’s Fire & Rescue Service received a call at 23:50, reporting a structure alight in the Pholile Park informal settlement.
“Crews from Strand and Sir Lowry’s Pass fire stations responded and extinguished the fire. Three male minors sustained fatal burns. The cause of the fire is not yet known,” said Abrahams.
In a post on Facebook on Sunday, Diniso shared that apparently more than two shacks burnt down, leaving more than 10 people displaced. He said the three children, aged 10, 11 and 12, were from three different families and lived in different shacks.
“We humbly ask for your donations to help our brothers and sisters start afresh,” Diniso said. “Mostly needed are school uniforms, clothes, blankets, mattresses and ready-made food.”
The councillor also appealed for help with funeral arrangements, noting that the parents of two of the deceased are unemployed.
“We will never abandon our people, no matter what. We will be found among our people during difficult times,” Diniso said.
- Donations can be dropped off at the Ward 86 councillor’s office at the Lwandle Municipal Offices. For more information, phone Diniso on 084 055 0615.
