Three die in fire
2007-06-28
A YEAR-OLD baby and two women fell victim of a fire which ravaged the Langrug informal settlement at Franschhoek on Saturday evening.
A spokesperson for the police said that the fire apparently started in the home of one of the victims, currently only known as Nosicelo (22), when she was cooking on a paraffin stove.
The flames spread through the settlement like a wild-fire, trapping Nosicelo and her baby, Lulupho, in their home, as well as engulfing a woman, Margaret Kiewiets (38), in a neighbouring house.
Another twenty homes were razed to the ground, leaving a total of 32 people homeless.
Hereafter the local community as well as the Stellenbosch Municipality speedily set out to assist the victims of the devastating fire.
Some of the victims were temporarily housed in the Mooiwater admin complex, whilst the rest chose to stay within the community.
Blankets and non-perishable food was handed out and a local farmer donated 20 mattresses to the victims.
* In Mbekweni, 125 people were also left without roofs over their heads on Saturday evening, when a fire destroyed 41 structures in Drommedaris Street.
These victims are housed in the Mbekweni community hall and the Drakenstein fire department distributed blankets and food parcels amongst them.
One of the victims, who has been living here for six years, said bitterly that houses were promised to this community, but never became a reality.
“If we were not forced to live in these poor conditions, we would not constantly become victims of fires. Each time that this happens, we have to rebuild our lives.”
A spokesperson for the fire department said that a huge dilemma for the community was that many of them had also lost their identity documents on which they rely to obtain their social grants.
Donations of clothes, shoes, heavy plastic and other items will be accepted by Valcare (872-2365) or Catholic Welfare and Development (868-1510) in Paarl.
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