The City of Cape Town has announced that a formal assessment of the Masiphumelele fire will begin once the Fire and Rescue Service clears the site.
The devastating fire swept through the informal settlement in the early hours of Monday morning (23 December), leaving many residents displaced. The number of affected individuals has yet to be verified.
Initial indications suggest that more than 100 structures may have been destroyed, according to Sonica Lategan, spokesperson for the Disaster Risk Management Centre.
“Statistics will be confirmed once the assessment is completed, and all affected persons have been registered for onward submission to SASSA and the national Department of Human Settlements. Humanitarian relief partners are on-site to assist with the immediate needs of the affected residents,” said Lategan.
Ali Sablay, project manager for Gift of the Givers, confirmed that their teams have been mobilized to respond to the crisis.
“Gift of the Givers teams have been activated to Masiphumelele as a fire sweeps through the informal settlement. Firefighters are still on-site working to extinguish the flames,” he stated.
Sablay noted that their organization has been inundated with calls since the early hours of the morning:
“Calls have been streaming in since 5 a.m. Gift of the Givers teams are still active and supporting fire victims from five other fire sites over the past five days. Once the site has been declared safe by firefighters, our teams will step in to provide humanitarian aid at 11 a.m.”
Further updates, including confirmed statistics and detailed relief plans, are expected following the city’s assessment.
VOC News
Photo: Supplied
