Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Kids kits donation spoilt by Vygieskraal shack fire
Young runners’ excitement over new uniforms cut short by tragedy at city settlement, writes RAGHEEMAH ARENDS
IT HAS BEEN three weeks since a group of kids from the Vygieskraal informal settlement were given the opportunity to participate in the Hewat Athletics Club’s after-school programme. Following our initial story on the running club, a Weekend Argus reader offered the club financial assistance for uniforms for the young runners.
But the excitement was short-lived, as the kids have already been faced with another setback – many of them were affected by the fire at the informal settlement last Wednesday.
Edward Bosch, Divisional Commander of the city’s Fire and Rescue Services, confirmed the incident. “There was a fire in Veld Road, Belgravia. Twenty wood and iron structures were destroyed by fire. Sixty people were displaced and all accounted for; no injuries or fatalities were reported.”
The fire was allegedly started by a child playing with firecrackers.
“The fire started at about 4pm. I just wanted to keep my 4-year-old daughter from the fire. We watched everything burn and I thought about going back home to my mom in the Eastern Cape,” said Vygieskraal resident, Gloria Baartman.
Baartman, 37, said her daughter Rashieda and 4-month-old son Raheen’s belongings were destroyed, together with all of the families’ identification documents, including birth certificates and husband Juma Musa’s passport.
“It’ll take long to get everything back.
“This happened in 2011 and it was devastating, now it’s happening again.”
Phanthuxolo Madyaka, 38, one of the liaisons for the Vygieskraal informal settlement community, said the kids were resilient and needed the programme more than ever because of the positive effects it has had on them.
“The fire was bad but kids are strong, they are doing okay and are still enjoying the programme.
“When I got back from work I saw the damage and helped clean up the mess, there are many people who lost everything.”
Asemhale Lamente, a Grade 5 pupil at Silverlea Primary in Athlone previously said she looked forward to her Wednesday afternoons spent at the running club as she had seen many traumatic things at the informal settlement.
“I like it, jogging gives me energy.
“It’s not nice where I live and it’s not safe, there are people I used to know who died because of shootings that happen all the time. It makes me sad and angry.”
The programme’s co-ordinator, Ammorette Truebody, said the club was trying to help the informal settlement with food donations.
Despite the misfortune, the running club is trying to assist the kids and will now meet every Monday.
“The children don’t have anything and there are many people from the community involved in the wrong things.
“I wish there had been a programme like this for me when I was their age.
“I believe something good will come out of this and I’m thankful to the club for doing this with the children,” Madyaka said about the programme.