As many as 4 000 people were still being registered by the City of Cape Town’s human-settlement unit on Thursday afternoon, following an early-morning fire that destroyed about 800 shacks in the Joe Slovo informal settlement near Langa.
Disaster-management spokesperson John Brown said the people were on the site of the blaze — which was extinguished by 3.30am on Thursday — to register for aid and new accommodation.
”There are people away in the Eastern Cape and many don’t know their house was destroyed [in the fire].”
Brown said it appears as if none of the people affected by the blaze took shelter in the Langa civic centre, choosing instead to be housed by family and friends in the area.
All the families were fed brunch on Thursday morning and would be given a warm meal later in the evening, he said. Meals will be provided for the next three days.
Brown said the cause of the fire is unknown. — Sapa