A devastating fire in Tsepe Tsepe Informal Settlement, Khayelitsha, has left 377 people homeless and destitute. They fled with nothing but the clothing on their backs. Destitute, homeless, desperate for shelter and forced to sleep inside their cars and market stalls as they waited for Disaster Risk Management teams to provide materials to assist in rebuilding their lives.
As the devastating fire swept through Tsepe Tsepe Informal Settlement in Khayelitsha on Sunday, 177 structures were destroyed and 377 people were affected. On Monday, hundreds began rebuilding their lives, several worried that their children would not have uniforms and stationery as schools are set to reopen next week. For Bukiwe Mkunyna and three children, surviving the night without a roof over their heads and only the clothing on their backs, meant finding shelter inside a car.
“I have three children in my home and the fire burnt everything, we have nothing but the clothing on our backs,” said Mkunyna, who had attended an assessment meeting with community leaders to determine how many families and children were affected. “We didn’t have anywhere to sleep, so we had to sleep outside in a car. We didn’t have anywhere else to go, some people slept at their friends or families homes.” Humanitarian aid organization, Gift of the Givers, have remained on site since the blaze began, providing meals and relief with the City of Cape Town approaching the National Human Settlements department to step in.
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