CAPE TOWN – At least 38 informal homes were destroyed and four people died in two separate shack fire incidents that occurred on Monday, December 1, in Ward 52, Langa.
The first and most devastating incident occurred at 04:00 at Siyahlala informal settlement, where a woman and three children were burned beyond recognition. The fire destroyed at least 15 structures and left more than 40 people homeless.
Siyahlala resident Ndikho Qakalana was among those who witnessed the tragedy unfold. He was awakened by neighbors who informed him that his brother’s shack was on fire -the same shack where his brother’s girlfriend and children lived.
“My brother is in prison. He was arrested a few months ago and left his girlfriend and children home alone,” Qakalana explained. “The fire started where the deceased were sleeping.”
The victims included his brother’s 15-month-old twins with his girlfriend, as well as the woman’s six-year-old child from a previous relationship.
Qakalana described the desperate rescue attempts: “They were all screaming inside. We could hear them as we tried to force the burglar bars apart. At some point, the screaming just stopped.”
He said he and other residents were unable to save the family as the flames had already engulfed the shack and were spreading to neighbouring structures. The haunting memory of their screams continues to torment him, and his family is planning to meet to discuss the way forward.
Later that same day, at about 15:00, another fire broke out at Joe Slovo Informal Settlement, destroying about 23 structures and leaving more than 100 people homeless. Fortunately, this incident resulted in no fatalities.
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Joe Slovo resident Thulani Ngoma lost almost everything in the blaze. “When the incident started, I was relaxing on my bed,” he recalled. “I managed to get some of my belongings out, but I lost my bed, fridge, and cupboard because I had no one to help me move them during the fire.”
City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse provided said the first emergency call came in after 4:00 on Monday, 1 December, reporting structures on fire with people trapped inside. Several fire crews responded, and firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze by 06:30.
“Sadly, an adult female (mother) and three children were found with fatal burns underneath the debris,” Carelse confirmed.
The second fire erupted in Mcingana Street, Zone 31, at around 15:25. More than 30 firefighters battled the blaze, including the Incident Management Team (IMT) Type 4.
Two firefighters sustained injuries during the operation and were taken to a nearby medical facility. The fire was finally extinguished just after 18:00.
“Our preliminary estimate is that 23 structures were destroyed and around 100 people were displaced,” Carelse said. No other injuries were reported, and the cause of both fires remains unknown.
