A fire swept through the Grootboom informal settlement north of Cape Town on Monday afternoon, destroying 450 dwellings and leaving 2000 people homeless.
The Western Cape’s provincial MEC for Social Services and Poverty Alleviation, Marius Fransman, visited the area on Monday night to help co-ordinate relief efforts.
The Superintendent-General of the Social Services and Poverty Alleviation Department, Virginia Petersen, said the settlement near Kraaifontein was devastated by the fire which broke out around 4.30pm.
Emergency services at the scene were still investigating the cause of the blaze late on Monday.
Petersen said the fire had been brought under control by the time Fransman arrived at the scene. There were no casualties but up to 2 000 people had lost their
homes and all their possessions, Petersen said.
Arrangements were being made with the Salvation Army to provide food and blankets and some people could be accommodated in the small community hall as an emergency measure.
Petersen said her department would allocate resources from its disaster relief budget. However, there was still an urgent need for food and shelter and anyone who could help was asked to call the Salvation Army in Cape Town on 021-425-2138/9. – Sapa