A devastating fire engulfed six shacks in the Magwaleni area of Zwelethemba on 2 June, leaving several families homeless. The blaze, which broke out around 16:00, spread rapidly, reducing the makeshift homes to ashes.
One resident, Joseph Hendricks, described his shock and despair at the destruction of his home.
The 53-year-old, who lives with his partner and three children, was not at home when the fire started. “I was at a friend’s house,” he said. “I left after 5 o’clock in the morning and I returned after 7 o’clock in the evening to find my shack and five others had burnt down. I’m telling you, I just lost it.”
Hendricks expressed a deep sense of isolation and loss.
“I’m from Oudtshoorn and I don’t have family here. I came here only to work. I couldn’t think straight.”
He said the tragedy has taken an emotional toll on both him and his family.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Hendricks suspects faulty electrical wiring may be to blame.
“The cable wires above my shack may have started the fire,” he said. Fortunately, his children were not at home at the time of the incident and they were saved.
The Breede Valley Fire Service responded to the call, only to be chased away by residents, who claimed they took too long.
Josephus Pretorius, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, told the Standard Breederivier Gazette: “At 18:43 the Breede Valley Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) received a call about a structural fire (wood-and-iron structures) at Magwalweni informal settlement.
“Fire crews were dispatched immediately from Zweletemba Fire Station and Worcester Fire Station. On their arrival at the scene our fire engine was stoned by an unknown person and at 18:54 our fire crews had to withdraw for their own safety.
The police were informed and they responded to the incident. They informed the fire crews that the area is not safe.
“Police also informed the fire crew that only one informal structure was destroyed and residents affected can apply for assistance from the housing department and from Sassa.”
