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The Citizen
08-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Fire devastates Dakota beach informal settlement
A FIRE blazed through Dakota beach informal settlement, Isipingo, in the early hours of this morning, leaving a trail of carnage throughout the centre section of the settlement and displacing hundreds of residents. Also read: eThekwini Municipality clarifies ID requirement at clinics The massive fire broke at around 03:00. According to a resident, Nini Maxhakanwa, whose home is among the rubble, the fire began in one of the shacks nearby Ernest Clokie Road, and by the time emergency services had arrived, it razed shacks around 10m inwards toward the centre of the settlement. eThekwini Municipality Fire and Emergency Services, together with disaster management teams, mobilised swiftly to ensure that no lives were lost in the fire. Among the first responders was station commander Sifiso Mbatha of Prospecton Fire Station, who said, 'When we got here, 30m² of shacks were already burning. Due to the distance from Ernest Clokie Road to the shacks, we had to run all the hoses in the machine. We ran two lines into the fire, one towards the south and one towards the north, so we could contain the fire. We managed to cover all the spheres, but the wind was blowing towards the east, so our main concern was there.' He added that responders had at their disposal three water carriers and four rescue pumpers and more to fight the fire. Mbatha said that all the residents were accounted for and no lives were lost. In a statement issued by the eThekwini Municipality, around 200 informal structures were destroyed, resulting in 300 people, including children, being displaced. 'The fire is believed to have been caused by a burning brazier, commonly known as an imbawula. Onsite humanitarian assistance is being provided by the Municipality's Disaster Management Directorate, in partnership with the non-profit organisation The Gift of the Givers. They are working together to provide support to affected residents with emergency relief, including food, blankets, and other essential items. Displaced families have found temporary refuge with neighbours, friends, and relatives,' it said. Another resident, Jabulani Magwaza, said that by-and-large, residents affected lost everything. 'I only have the clothes on my back. Most of us lost everything. When I saw the fire break out, I went out to help. My home is towards the top of the hill and by the time I got back, my home burnt down as well,' he said. He and countless other residents are working tirelessly to rebuild, from clearing out the rubble, salvaging whatever, if anything, is left and starting anew. 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. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
28-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Devastating fires in Cape Town displace over 100 residents; Gift of the Givers responds
A fire sweeps through KTC, Gugulethu, leaving 100 people displaced. Image: Supplied The Gift of the Givers has stepped in to assist after a series of devastating fires displaced more than 100 people across multiple informal settlements in Cape Town on Monday. Project coordinator, Ali Sablay, said the organisation responded to calls for urgent assistance from residents in KTC, Gugulethu, as well as in Eerste River and Belgravia. 'In just one night, we received three reports of separate incidents where numerous homes were destroyed,' Sablay said. In KTC, Section 6, Gugulethu, approximately 36 informal homes were gutted, leaving close to 100 people displaced. 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 ✕ According to ward councillor, Suzanne Zumana, this is not the first fire to ravage the area. 'Three months ago, another fire struck here. "When I asked how the fire started, residents said they didn't know – that's always the case. There is electricity in the section, so often the assumption is it was an electrical fault,' Zumana said. 'Fortunately, no one was injured.' Sablay confirmed: 'Community members and fire victims in KTC reached out to us for urgent support. As the fire spread, residents lost all their belongings. We have deployed teams to all three sites to provide immediate humanitarian relief, including hot meals, clean drinking water, blankets, and hygiene packs.' The City's Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, said they started receiving emergency calls from NY78 in the KTC informal settlement, Nyanga, just before 11pm on Monday. 'The fire required an aggressive response, as multiple teams from different fire stations were dispatched. An Incident Management Team (IMT) Type 4 was activated. By 2.45am, the fire was extinguished,' Carelse said. 'The Disaster Risk Management Centre is conducting an assessment. The SPCA also responded to treat a cat and dog that suffered burn wounds.' Shortly after, at around 1:25am, emergency services responded to another blaze in Africa Siebritz Street, Hillview, Eersterivier. 'One informal structure was destroyed. Crews from Mfuleni were able to extinguish the fire within 40 minutes. No injuries were reported, and the cause is under investigation. 'At 5:05am, firefighters were called to a third fire in Barham Road, Belgravia, where about 10 informal structures were destroyed, displacing more than 20 people," Carelse said. 'Fire crews from Ottery, Wynberg, Epping, and Constantia worked to bring the flames under control by 6:15 am.'
