One person was killed when a fire destroyed most of the Zululand informal settlement in Masiphumelele near Cape Town on Monday morning.
At least 80 people were displaced by the blaze.
Nkosiyoxolo Dubeni, a former driver supervisor for the City of Cape Town who is unemployed, said neighbours lost everything in the fire.
“Most will be dependent on the kindness of strangers to survive,” said Dubeni.
“The fire started this morning at about 5am. One Zimbabwean man lost his life. The fire started in the room where he slept.
“My family and most residents did not go to sleep as rich people yesterday. On the morning of the fire they managed to rescue a few pieces of clothing. Imagine those clothes are all you have to restart your life?
“We will take in one of my nephews and niece, and my sister will take the other. Family is all you have in times like these,” Dubeni said.
“It is extra mouths to feed, and that is difficult while I am unemployed.
“We cleaned up where the shack was and have started building. We can’t sit still and wait.
“[The NGOs] Live in Hope and Gift of the Givers have come to help us. We are grateful and hope they can continue helping.”
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay confirmed they are on site.
“The blaze destroyed many structures, including a church,” Sablay said.
“Emergency services have cordoned off the site while forensic teams work to retrieve the body of a male victim who lost his life in the fire.
“Our teams are providing immediate humanitarian assistance to those affected and will continue to support the community with relief operations over the coming days.”
The City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “At about 6am on Monday, the city’s fire and rescue service received reports of informal structures alight in Masemola Street, Masiphumelele,” Carelse said.
“Several crews were dispatched to the scene. One person is confirmed to have died.”
He said police will investigate the cause of the fire.
“Our initial estimate is that one formal and about 20 informal structures were destroyed, leaving about 80 people displaced. The fire was extinguished at 10.05am.”
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.