Two die, 600 homeless after fire
2009-04-09
Lise Beyers
TWO people died and almost 600 people were left homeless in the early hours of Saturday morning, when a devastating fire swept through an informal settlement in Mbekweni. The fire broke out in a severely impoverished area, OR, where thousands of shacks line the railway tracks between Paarl and Wellington. It is still unclear how the fire began, but at about 02:30 the community was awoken by an inferno of flames and billowing smoke. The fire swept swiftly through the wood and tin shacks, destroying everything in its way. Women and children tried to save the few belongings they had, while the men tried to douse the flames. This was however an impossible task. Once the Drakenstein fire brigade had managed to bring the fire under control, it was established that 150 shacks had been razed to the ground. And later, amongst the rubble, the charred bodies of two residents, Patric Gcinikhaya Mzimasi (40) and Xolani Rhasi (25) were discovered. The doors to the Mbekweni community hall were opened to the victims of the fire, but most of them decided to stay with family and friends in closer proximity to their homes. The fire department handed out emergency packs consisting of basic foodstuffs and blankets to families who lost everything. By the next morning the fire victims were rebuilding their homes, as well as trying to rebuild their lives.
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