Four families homeless after shack fire
"I was awakened by a terrible fire and smoke that came through my shack roof."
Around four shacks were burnt to the ground in the Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement, Zone 4, on Saturday last week.
The fire affected two other shacks.
It is believed that the fire began at around 11:30pm.
One of the affected families’ members, Mr Puleng Sikiti, said the fire began in his neighbourhood and engulfed his three-room shack.
“I was awakened by a terrible fire and smoke that came through my shack roof.
“I jumped out of bed to secure my belongings but I failed as the flames were too strong. I lost everything, including includes furniture, documents and a cellular phone, among other important possessions. We had to sleep at our neighbour’s home,” he said.
Mr Sikiti said it was alleged that a couple had a heated argument on the night of the incident.
“Residents suspect the boyfriend may be the one who burnt the shack as he was moving around the street that night. Fortunately, the woman did not sleep at her home that night,” he said
The Ekurhuleni Concerned Residents Association’s (ECRA) representative, Ms Mpho Seema, said they had approached the Ekurhuleni Speaker for help.
“They managed to help with food parcels and blankets,” she said.
No one was injured in the blaze.
