CT provides fire rebuilding kits to residents
The City of Cape Town has issued over 800 enhanced emergency rebuilding kits to its fire-affected residents, the City said on Monday.
The value of these kits has cost the city over R4,2 million since the start of November, said Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements Councillor Benedicta van Minnen.
She noted that the city experiences a surge in fires, and said that this year’s fire season was unusually dry.
“Fires are a particular danger for residents living in informal settlements. The high density of these settlements and the highly flammable building materials result in the rapid spread of fires. In addition, the layout and the density of these settlements make it very difficult for the City to effectively respond to fires,” said Van Minnen.
During the month of November, the City assisted households in Joe Slovo, Khayelitsha, Wallacedene, Rylands, Imizamo Yethu, Brown’s Farm, Siqalo, and Mfuleni.
She said the devastation the fires cause is “heartbreaking”.
The cost of the kits, she said, “includes partial, above-ground post-fire re-blocking efforts but does not include the clearing of the fire-affected area, the levelling of the ground, and the reinstatement of services.”
The kits consists of nails, poles, galvanised corrugated steel roof sheets, a door with a lock set or padlock, and a window to enable residents to replace housing structures that were affected or destroyed by fires.
The City, she said, was “the only metro in the country that assists residents affected by fires and floods in this manner.”
Van Minnen said fires affecting residents included “recent fires over the weekend in Sea Winds, near Lavender Hill and in Elsies River” and she noted that the City was still handing out kits to 1,100 affected residents of Masiphumelele after their homes were destroyed by fire a week ago.
The City also provides fire awareness and education campaigns to educate residents on the dangers of fires and how to prevent them from happening in the first place.
On December 1, the City’s Mayor, Patricia de Lille launched the Misa Umlilo Stop the Fire campaign, where structures in informal settlements are being painted with fire-retardant paint.
Van Minnen appealed to all residents to be alert, and “to take care and not to leave open flames unattended, especially while sleeping.”