As the first witness took the stand in an inquiry to investigate the fire that killed 77 people in the Usindiso building in Johannesburg’s inner city, the survivors living in shelters are in despair.
Residents at two of the three shelters housing destitute people detail the struggle just to make it through the day.
According to the City of Johannesburg, three shelters are housing fire survivors. These are the Hofland Recreational Centre in Bezuidenthout Valley, which accommodates 46 people, Wembley Shelter, where 54 males stay, and the Jeppestown shelter, which houses 17 women.
At Bezuidenthout Valley, the hopelessness was palpable as people sat outside the buildings hoping a Good Samaritan would come along with something to eat.
Food is their biggest worry, particularly those who have children. Among the survivors is Nondumiso Sithole, 26, who is with her four children at the shelter.
Her two sons, aged eight and nine, are supposed to be at school, but their uniforms and books burnt in the fire. The boys spend their day playing at the shelter and doing nothing else.
The other two, a two-year-old boy and an 11-month-old daughter, need food all the time.
“It is really tough for me and my children. No-one brings food to the shelter any more. Everyone is on their own now. I’m really struggling,” Sithole said.
While living in the Usindiso building, Sithole sold bread and tea to the tenants of the building. She kept her business running for most of the day as tenants came at different times of the night and day.
I wish we could get a better place to stay, and even help with a job so we can survive. My children have lost two months of school and my fear is that they may lose the rest of the year because of where we are.
— Nondumiso Sithole, Usindiso fire survivor
But life in the shelter life is different. She provides for her children by selling clothes donated by charity organisations after the fire, and on the social grant for two of her children.
“I wish we could get a better place to stay, and even help with a job so we can survive. My children have lost two months of school and my fear is that they may lose the rest of the year because of where we are,” Sithole said.
She gets disposable nappies from a social worker.
On August 31, a fire ravaged the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, in the inner city, killing 77 people.
The tragedy attracted international media as one of the worst disasters to hit Johannesburg.
Phumlani Mketho, one of the survivors staying at the Wembley shelter, said life was tough.
“The place is a rehab facility and a shelter for the homeless. It is a difficult place to live. People who stay in the shelter, wake up very early in the morning and dish food for themselves and by the time we wake up, there is nothing left for us.
“We cannot cook for ourselves here. Even with supper, if you go out to hustle and come back after 5pm, you won't get food. That is the life we live there,” Mketho said.
Neo Goba, spokesperson for the department of human settlements in the City of Johannesburg, said the city relied on donations to help the destitute people.
“NGOs such as Red Cross and United Nations have been offering rental vouchers up to R4,000 to cover three months of accommodation depending on the nature of the assessment made when the incident took place in August.
“The department relies solely on donations from NGOs and Good Samaritans. It is their primary mandate to supply victims with food parcels, medication and clothing. Our primary function is to provide shelter,” Goba said.
He said the city was engaging home affairs and relevant embassies to facilitate support for documentation and “possibly, expatriation”.
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