Fire victims picking up the pieces
AS VICTIMS of Monday’s devastating fire in Dunoon rebuild their homes, one family is trying to put back together the pieces of their lives, having lost everything.
The blaze, in Dunoon, section B informal settlement killed 1-year-old Othaluve Ntsukumbini and left 70 people homeless. It started in the early hours and spread through the tightly packed neighbourhood shacks.
Nondingazi Ntsukumbini, Othaluve’s aunt, was saved by her 10-yearold son Aphelele, as she was trapped inside a burning shack. “I was woken by Aphelele at midnight so that I could escape from the fire.”
Nondingazi said, they tried to save 2-year-old Anganathi. “As I was trying to find Othaluve, a cupboard fell by the door. I was dizzy and couldn’t find Aphelele. It’s a struggle for us, we lost everything in the fire. The important thing right now is to get food, and finishing the shack,” said Nondingazi.
When the Cape Argus visited the informal settlement, residents were salvaging building materials from the fire and using kits – nails, corrugated sheets and wooden poles – they received from the municipality to set up home again.
Community leader Simphiwe Thanda said the families had lost all their possessions and needed food.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Edward Bosch said 30 structures were destroyed. The cause of the fire is not yet known.