Astron Energy teams up with local authorities to enhance fire safety in Cape Town and Durban
Image: Supplied
Residents in high-risk informal settlements in Cape Town and Durban are set to benefit from an initiative focused on fire safety.
The project is headed by Astron Energy, in partnership with the Western Cape Disaster Management, eThekwini Disaster Management, local municipalities, and fire departments.
Astron will be installing over 500 early warning smoke detectors in high-risk informal settlements.
Areas set to benefit include Du Noon, Joe Slovo, and Langa in the Western Cape, as well as Dakota Beach in KwaZulu-Natal.
Astron Energy's Corporate Affairs Manager, Donna Fata, said this initiative is designed to prevent devastating fires and is being rolled out alongside multilingual fire safety training, supported by disaster teams, community forums, and firefighting volunteers.
She said local authorities would carry out the training and installations in coordination with community stakeholders in each area.
Each installation site will fall within zones monitored by the provincial disaster management system, enabling faster emergency response and long-term tracking of fire incidents. The data collected will also help assess the programme's overall impact over time.
'Fires in informal settlements can have devastating consequences for families and communities. Through this initiative, we aim to empower residents with early-warning technology and vital fire safety knowledge, helping to prevent loss of life and property. By working closely with local authorities and community partners, we are committed to creating safer, more secure spaces where individuals can live with greater peace of mind,' Fata said.
Last month, a fire displaced over 400 residents and destroyed more than 200 homes at the Dakota Informal Settlement in Isipingo, Durban. In a separate incident, two people died and 22 families were left homeless after a fire broke out at the Sukamuva Informal Settlement in Crossmoor, Chatsworth.
In Cape Town, a six-year-old boy was declared deceased when a fire ripped through informal settlements in Maroela Road in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. A total of 20 structures were destroyed displacing 60 to 80 people.
In an effort to also support school learners in need, Astron Energy introduced its Winter Shoe Drive across the three major cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.
It said this comes in response to requests by school principals and partners who have highlighted the urgent need for quality school shoes among children walking long distances in harsh weather conditions.
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2 days ago
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Astron Energy teams up with local authorities to enhance fire safety in Cape Town and Durban
The early detection devices will be installed in informal settlements in Cape Town and Durban. Image: Supplied Residents in high-risk informal settlements in Cape Town and Durban are set to benefit from an initiative focused on fire safety. The project is headed by Astron Energy, in partnership with the Western Cape Disaster Management, eThekwini Disaster Management, local municipalities, and fire departments. Astron will be installing over 500 early warning smoke detectors in high-risk informal settlements. Areas set to benefit include Du Noon, Joe Slovo, and Langa in the Western Cape, as well as Dakota Beach in KwaZulu-Natal. Astron Energy's Corporate Affairs Manager, Donna Fata, said this initiative is designed to prevent devastating fires and is being rolled out alongside multilingual fire safety training, supported by disaster teams, community forums, and firefighting volunteers. She said local authorities would carry out the training and installations in coordination with community stakeholders in each area. Each installation site will fall within zones monitored by the provincial disaster management system, enabling faster emergency response and long-term tracking of fire incidents. The data collected will also help assess the programme's overall impact over time. 'Fires in informal settlements can have devastating consequences for families and communities. Through this initiative, we aim to empower residents with early-warning technology and vital fire safety knowledge, helping to prevent loss of life and property. By working closely with local authorities and community partners, we are committed to creating safer, more secure spaces where individuals can live with greater peace of mind,' Fata said. Last month, a fire displaced over 400 residents and destroyed more than 200 homes at the Dakota Informal Settlement in Isipingo, Durban. In a separate incident, two people died and 22 families were left homeless after a fire broke out at the Sukamuva Informal Settlement in Crossmoor, Chatsworth. In Cape Town, a six-year-old boy was declared deceased when a fire ripped through informal settlements in Maroela Road in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. A total of 20 structures were destroyed displacing 60 to 80 people. In an effort to also support school learners in need, Astron Energy introduced its Winter Shoe Drive across the three major cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban. It said this comes in response to requests by school principals and partners who have highlighted the urgent need for quality school shoes among children walking long distances in harsh weather conditions. [email protected] IOL
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ETHEKWINI deputy mayor Zandile Myeni visited the disaster-prone Dakota Beach informal settlement in Prospecton on July 29 to oversee the installation of fire and smoke detectors aimed at improving safety for residents. Also read: Fire devastates Dakota Beach informal settlement The devices, donated by Astron Energy, are part of a broader effort to address the ongoing risks faced by communities living in high-density, informal housing areas. Dakota Beach has experienced several devastating fires over the years, with many families losing homes and belongings. 'We are taking proactive steps to reduce the risk of fire and improve emergency response. We're grateful to Astron Energy for supporting the municipality's efforts to protect our most vulnerable residents,' said Myeni. The installation marks the beginning of a phased rollout of safety technology across other informal settlements in the region. Municipal officials and local disaster management teams were on site to demonstrate how the detectors work and educate residents on fire prevention measures. Astron Energy representatives said the donation forms part of their corporate social investment initiatives, focusing on community safety and resilience. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
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Astron Energy's Mbalenhle Mazibuko, resident Fikile Mbotho, eThekwini Municipality Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni and Gift of the Givers' Jerome Williams installing a smoke and fire detector in an informal structure at Dakota Informal Settlement. Back: eThekwini Disaster Management's Joe Khumalo. Image: Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers To help reduce fire incidents in informal settlements, the eThekwini Municipality and Astron Energy are fitting 342 fire and smoke detectors in the Dakota Informal Settlements, located in Ward 90 of Isipingo. It also comes after more than 200 informal structures were destroyed, leaving over 400 residents displaced, earlier this month. eThekwini Municipality deputy mayor Zandile Myeni said they were in Dakota with municipal disaster management and the private sector, Astron Energy and Gift of the Givers. 'We are here to install detectors to alert residents in case of a fire, especially since incidents often occur at night or when people are away from home,' Myeni said. 'We are very delighted because at the end of the day, if the fire starts, we don't want it to escalate to other rooms, so that the municipality will be able to assist our people through the disaster, along with other NGOs you are working with on the ground.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'When we are engaging with our colleagues who have donated, Astron, they also told us that these items are not going to be chargeable for a period of 10 years, and they have a guarantee of which we think our people will be using this programme moving forward,' Myeni continued. 'So we are very happy because we want our city to have zero percent of fire disasters moving forward.' Myeni said the initiative is part of lessons learned. The municipality is in a position where it says the city's disasters are lessons learned. It is also in line with the Disaster Level 2 Plan, where the municipality educates residents about disasters. In partnership with Western Cape Disaster Management, eThekwini Disaster Management, local municipalities, and fire departments, Astron Energy will install over 500 early-warning smoke detectors in high-risk informal settlements across Cape Town and Durban. Installation sites will be in provincial disaster management zones for faster emergency response and fire tracking. 'Through this initiative, we aim to empower residents with early-warning technology and vital fire safety knowledge, helping to prevent loss of life and property. By working closely with local authorities and community partners, we are committed to creating safer, more secure spaces where individuals can live with greater peace of mind,' said Astron Energy corporate affairs manager Donna Fata. eThekwini Municipality Disaster Management and Emergency head Vincent Ngubane said: 'We're thankful for the relationship we have with Astron (Energy) for supporting us in this early warning system programme in Dakota, where they will install 342 early warning detectors. 'This is not the first programme, there are other programmes. A lot of companies come to the fore, including Astron, Old Mutual, and Santam, also come and are doing much work. 'This is part of our strategy to fight, and if there are disasters, we can deal with them quicker.' eThekwini Disaster Management officials briefed before the installation of smoke and fire detectors at Dakota Informal Settlement. Image: Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers Isipingo Ward 90 councillor Dharmanand Nowbuth said: 'This settlement has existed for over 45 years. During that time, the community has suffered tremendously, losing documents, personal items and so on, either through floods or fires. 'Hopefully, this new venture will assist in either eradicating or preventing fires.' Fikile Mboto, who had lived in the informal settlement for seven years, was affected by this month's fire. She had rebuilt when one of the devices was installed in her home on Tuesday. 'I'm very happy. Maybe I'll leave a pot on the stove thinking I switched it off and go to the loo, only to return to a fire,' Mboto said. 'However, if I go to the loo this time, and leave my neighbour nearby, and the device sounds, the neighbour can break down the door and switch it off. It will help a lot.' Another resident, Nomvuyo Mateke, said the new devices will help the community prevent more disasters. They have already lost their homes and important documents due to fires.
