Two more lives lost in Cape shack fires
MINISTER of Social Development Susan Shabangu and Minister of Human Settlements Nomaindia Mfeketo yesterday visited the families affected by the fire which claimed the lives of eight people in Taiwan Site C, Khayelitsha.
The visit at the Solomon Chuku Hall in Khayelitsha comes as more people lose their lives as a result of shack fires.
A child, 5, died in a fire yesterday in Kosovo informal settlement in Philippi. Over 20 wood-and-iron structures were destroyed, leaving 66 people displaced.
“Just after 10.30am, the City’s fire and rescue services responded to a fire in White Hart Lane, where one male minor sustained fatal burns. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet,” fire and rescue spokesman Theo Layne said.
It’s reported that the child was playing with a piece of paper near a lit paraffin heater. The child was hiding under the bed when the fire started and the grandmother who was looking after him fled the structure, unaware the child was still inside.
Meanwhile, a man has died in a shack fire in Gugulethu. Layne said firefighters were called to Dr Moerat Street at 9pm.
Police are still questioning a 21-yearold woman in connection with the fire in Taiwan. A case of arson has been opened.
“We know the girl. She and my cousin had a fight a few weeks ago in Delft and she threatened my cousin, saying that she is going to kill her family,” Asanda Bangani said. Her cousin, who lost her 7-year-old child, was still distraught, she added, and they had no money for a funeral.