The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre is conducting assessments at the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement following Tuesday’s fire, as authorities work to determine the full extent of the damage and initiate recovery efforts.
Fire and Rescue Services responded shortly before 15:00 to reports of informal dwellings alight in Nelson Mandela Road. The blaze subsequently spread to surrounding vegetation and moved up the mountainside toward Penzance Road.
Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell confirmed that multiple structures were destroyed. She said officials from Disaster Risk Management and the City’s Informal Settlements Management Branch are currently verifying the number of affected residents.
“Other City services will assess any damaged infrastructure, while the Solid Waste Department clears fire debris. Once the details of affected residents have been recorded, the information will be submitted to SASSA, the Provincial Department of Social Development, and the National Department of Human Settlements to facilitate relief assistance,” Powell said.
Meanwhile, humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers reported receiving numerous calls from community leaders and fire victims in the wake of the blaze.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay confirmed that teams are on the ground in Hout Bay but are awaiting clearance before conducting formal assessments.
“Our teams are currently on site; however, assessments cannot yet be carried out as firefighters are still working and the scene remains active. We will activate an immediate humanitarian response once the area has been declared safe by the relevant authorities,” Sablay said.
VOC News
Photo: Supplied
