One dead, 150 homeless after fire
2008-10-30
Lise Beyers
A DEVASTATING fire led to the death of one man, and leaving more than 150 people homeless. Chaos erupted when a fire broke out in an informal settlement in Swartberg Street, Carterville, at approximately 03:30 on Saturday morning. Due to extreme windy conditions, the fire spread like wild fire between the shacks which are mostly built of wood and tin. Residents fled their humble homes, with only the clothes on their backs. One of the electrical pylons around which the settlement had been built, almost collapsed, leaving the entire area without power for most of the day. Even Paarl was hit by power-outages on Saturday afternoon, because of this. Once the fire was doused by the Drakenstein Fire Services, the body of Mlandeli Madotyeni (26) was discovered amongst the rubble. Another man was hospitalised with burn wounds. A total of 33 homes had been razed to the ground, leaving a multitude of people homeless. As the sun rose, painting a clearer picture of the devastation, police reinforcements were summoned, as the crowd grew restless, due to their losses. They were blaming the lack of housing on the reluctance of the powers that be to deliver on their election promises. And on the other hand, electrical technicians who were on the site to commence with repair work to the damaged pylon, said that it is unacceptable that people were allowed to live in such dangerous conditions, right under such an electrical structure. The emergency services assisted by handing out food and blankets, and the Mbekweni Community Hall was opened up for alternative accommodation. It is currently unsure how the fire started and an inquest into the fatality will take place.
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