Families in Imizamo Yethu face new devastation as fire destroys homes

Another night, another fire, another group of Imizamo Yethu families left standing among the ashes of what was once home.

For Frederick Kaukungwa, Tuesday morning was not about mourning what had been lost. It was about finding something - anything - that could help him start again.

Armed with two hammers, Frederick moved through the charred remains of his home in Hughenden Street, searching through twisted metal and damaged belongings for anything that could be salvaged.

His home was gone, and rebuilding could not wait.

“It's all gone, and now that we lost everything, we have to think of how we are going to rebuild our lives, starting with the roof over our heads,” he told Sentinel News.

At one point, Frederick stood among the devastation, seemingly unsure of where to begin.

Then he spotted something he could use.

The search continued.

Blaze rips through homes in the early hours

The latest fire broke out at approximately 1.30am on Tuesday, September 8, prompting a major emergency response from the City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service.

Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said firefighters were alerted to structures alight on Hughenden Street, with nearly 40 firefighters, including an Incident Management Team Type 4, deployed to the scene.

After hours of battling the flames, firefighters had successfully contained the blaze at approximately 7.40am.

Preliminary reports indicate that about 50 informal structures were destroyed.

Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while fighting the blaze and were treated at the scene. Neither required transport to hospital.

No other injuries or fatalities have been reported.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

‘There was really no time to react’

For Maria Nakapala, the memories of the fire were still raw as residents began picking through what remained.

She said the speed at which the flames spread left families with little opportunity to save their belongings.

“We came out and saw everything in flames, and there was really no time to react as the fire spread so quickly,” she said.

She described the destruction as heartbreaking, but said residents could not afford to spend too long looking back.

They had to rebuild.

Another fire in an area that knows the pain too well

The latest blaze comes just weeks after Sentinel News reported on another devastating fire in Imizamo Yethu. In July, a fire tore through informal structures in Mandela Park, destroying 60 shacks and once again forcing residents to confront the devastating reality of losing their homes and belongings in a matter of minutes ("Residents of Imizamo Yethu face heartbreak and resilience after devastating fire", Sentinel News, July 29).

For residents, another fire so soon afterwards is a painful reminder of how quickly lives can be turned upside down.

Carelse said Law Enforcement officers were requested to assist after some members of the community interfered with emergency personnel while they were carrying out their duties.

Richard Marubane, another local who sat on a pile of roof sheets wondering where to start, said: "Many were panicked and it's not easy seeing all your things go up in smoke. So when they say people are interfering, they are not; they are possibly trying to save the only things they have in life."

"So many of us are not interfering, we are trying."