MORE than 700 people have been left homeless in Cape Town after the fire burnt down several shack over the Easter weekend.
Residents of Joe Slovo in Langa lost their shacks on Saturday night, while residents of Mfuleni lost their homes at around 3am on the early morning of Sunday, 31 March.
Several shacks also burnt down in Du Noon. Firefighters also battled vegetation fires on the mountain slopes in the Simon’s Town area.
Langa community leader Sivuyile Dlamalala said more than 40 shacks were destroyed by the fire, leaving residents homeless.
"We ran out of our houses with nothing but the clothes on our backs. The children have lost everything, while the schools will soon reopen. We don’t know what to do because it's very difficult for us. Some of the people went to church when their houses caught fire, it’s just hard. We don't know what started the fire," Dlamalala said.
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Another resident, Vuyisile Makheta, said: "The biggest problem is the building materials. Some of us don’t work and live on social grants, and it will be difficult to rebuild these houses."
Centre for Disaster and Risk Management spokeswoman Charlotte Powell said they were working to help residents.
"The Centre for Disaster Risk Management has deployed staff to Langa, Dunoon and Mfuleni following the fires that occurred overnight. The DRMC will conduct surveys at the fire sites to determine the number of buildings destroyed and people affected. This process will take some time before the final figures are known," Powell said.
Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse also confirmed the fires, which have left many people homeless.
He said the City of Cape Town stated that 759 people have been left homeless in all the fires in the Cape Town area.
