‘Everything we had is gone’: Amanda watches her home turn to ash in Imizamo Yethu fire

Amanda Thethi looked defeated as she sifted through the charred zinc sheets and burnt fragments that were once her home.

On Monday morning, the smell of smoke hung heavily over the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay, where rows of blackened rubble and twisted metal marked the path of a devastating blaze that tore through more than 180 shacks.

The fire has displaced more than 500 families, leaving hundreds scrambling for food, clothing and a place to sleep.

According to City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service statistics, between December 1 and January 15, firefighters responded to 3,492 vegetation fires and rescue incidents, up from 3,213 in the same period last year.

Informal residential fires rose from 315 to 332, while the sharpest increase was recorded in formal residential fires, which climbed from 210 to 244 incidents.

Residents believe the fire may have started when a man fell asleep while cooking.

“Can you believe this was all caused by someone who decided to cook while he was drunk? He dozed off, and that’s how the fire started. Luckily, he escaped with minor injuries, but he left hundreds homeless,” Thethi said.

A number of residents have been accommodated in nearby community halls, while Thethi has been separated from her three siblings, aged 18, 13 and 9, who are now staying with different relatives.

“It was on Saturday, around 3pm, when I saw flames coming from this direction. I was visiting someone in the area and immediately rushed home because I was thinking about the safety of my siblings,” she said.

By the time she arrived, they had managed to save only a few belongings.

“One sibling is in Grade 12. She managed to grab her school bag, and the little ones took a few clothes, but we lost the rest. The painful part is that I can’t even afford to rebuild my home with the salary I earn,” she said.

City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Sonica Lategan said preliminary reports indicate that about 100 structures were damaged, displacing about 500 people.

“Disaster Risk Management has also activated water and sanitation to address damage to five toilets, standpipes and a burst water pipe, and the city’s recreation and parks department to assess trees damaged in the fire,” Lategan said.

“NGO partner Thula Thula was also on site to assess immediate humanitarian relief needs.”

She added that assistance has also been requested from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Solid Waste, the department of home affairs and the department of social development.

“Electrical poles and boxes were damaged. Humanitarian relief partners Living Hope provided hygiene packs, while Gift of the Givers supplied hot meals to the affected residents,” Lategan said.

Nosiseko Siswana from the NGO Thula Thula said the organisation had provided grocery parcels containing basic necessities.

“We also gave blankets. Usually, when we have sufficient funding, we also provide items such as stoves, kettles and clothing. However, due to the fires over the past two weeks, we have depleted our funds. We assisted about 220 families recently, and now there are another 180 families who need help,” Siswana said.

She said the organisation is appealing for donations, particularly groceries, baby packs, nappies and toiletries.

Meanwhile, Thethi said the tragedy had disrupted an important milestone for her sister.

“It will soon be my sister’s matric ball, and she might have to miss it because now we must focus on rebuilding our home,” she said.

“The man who caused the fire ran away, but the community is looking for him.”