GEORGE NEWS - Eight informal houses burnt down in July Marekeni Street in Lawaaikamp and two RDP houses were damaged in a fire on Saturday noon, 30 August.
According to Nono Gwegwe, one of the residents whose family home suffered some damage, her mother and some other family members were at home when the fire broke out.
“I was at work and got a call to say that the fire was coming towards our house. A strong wind was driving the flames on. Some neighbours jumped in and tried to fight off the fire until the fire brigade arrived. By the time I got home, it was all over. My family has been through a horrible time. They were so scared,” said Gwegwe.
Windows had started cracking and melting from the heat, and a hole in the roof of one of the bedrooms bore testimony to the fire that had come close to claiming the rest of the house.
The fire reportedly started in a shack on the property of their neighbour, Patricia Mangalusi. “I was at church when it happened. My daughter was at home, busy doing the washing at the front when she heard neighbours screaming that the house was on fire.”
Some people rushed to help her carry out some furniture and other items, but not much could be done before the flames engulfed the whole place, burning it down. Most of the belongings and furniture they managed to get out were damaged nevertheless, and are not fit for use.
The fire spread rapidly to another shack in the backyard that was also destroyed, and to adjacent properties where more shacks were razed to the ground.
During the newspaper’s visit on Sunday, the various affected families’ members were sitting around helplessly, visibly downcast and devastated at their losses.
Damage to a wood cottage at the back of Maggie Haawa’s property.
No one suffered any injuries, but they will now have to replace furniture, linen, blankets, kitchenware and clothes - belongings they had acquired over time and which they do not have the means to replace.
A call is made to the public for assistance to these families. Anyone who would like to make a donation, no matter how small, may contact Gwegwe on 063 559 3700 or Mangalusi on 078 210 1688.
Some parts of the Gwegwes’ house took some heat damage.
Assistance from municipality
Ntobeko Mangqwenqwe, senior communications officer of the George Municipality, confirmed that 10 structures were affected.
"The municipality has already been assisting in rebuilding the informal structures. Other affected households may apply for assistance through the housing department at 46 Market Street, where each case will be assessed individually."
He explained that the municipality's emergency housing assistance to vulnerable households when their informal structures are destroyed in disasters such as fire or flood, is subject to set qualifying criteria.
"Due to limited resources, priority is given to families with children, the elderly and persons with disabilities."
The following rules apply for assistance:
Emergency housing
The George Municipality assists with the replacement of informal structures for vulnerable people living in dire circumstances or informal structures that were destroyed during a disaster, such as fire or flood.
The Department of Human Settlements deals with each case on merit, based on a strict set of requirements, including that there be proof that the cause of the fire was not arson or negligence, that the burnt-down or damaged structure was neither for sleeping only nor illegally occupying land.
Due to budgetary constraints, priority is given to families with children, the elderly and the disabled.
Persons who lost their informal house in a disaster and who qualify for assistance must apply in person at the George Municipality Housing Department offices at 46 Market Street, George.
A small cottage remained standing but was badly damaged.
Qualification criteria for assistance with an emergency structure
Who will be assisted
- A person who is evicted and the Court has ordered the municipality to provide accommodation.
- Households affected by fire and inclement weather render their structures unsafe and uninhabitable.
- Persons residing in formal houses which have been destroyed by fire, where the house has been declared structurally unsafe by the Building Control Department.
Who will not qualify
- Persons residing on private property;
- Single persons under the age of 60 with no dependants ;
- Additions to existing formal houses;
- Households that have been assisted previously; and
- Persons who have illegally invaded land.
Affected applicants must submit the following documents:
Documents that have been tampered with (like additional names added to the fire report) will not be accepted and assistance not given.
Documentation required
For court-ordered evictions the following information is required:
- Certified copies of the ID documents of the adult members of the household
- birth certificates of minor children
- A copy of any marriage certificate;
- A copy of current pay slips; and
- The Order of Court which instructs the Municipality to provide temporary accommodation.
For fire incidents, the following documents must be submitted before an emergency structure can be approved:
- Fire incident report from the Fire Department;
- SAPD report of findings at the scene where fire occurred; and
- Certified copies of the ID documents of the adult members of the household;
- copies of birth certificates of minor children
- A copy of any marriage certificate;
- A copy of current pay slips;
Rubble remaining from the fire.
Mangqwengqwe said persons for whom structures were approved, are usually assisted within a few days or weeks depending on the capacity of the working team, whether there are sufficient materials and how many other people are being assisted on disasters that happened before theirs.
"A qualifying person/household will either receive a 4mx5m corrugated sheet structure or a partially damaged structure will be fixed. The Human Settlements Department has a team of handymen that build or fix the damaged structures."
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