The civil rights organisation is concerned about how the local municipality is handling the fire which ravaged 12 homes and a guesthouse and affected many others. AfriForum’s disaster management specialist, Tarien Cooks, says that the legislation requires that when an area is declared a disaster area, it must be published in the Government Gazette and the regulations of the disaster must be detailed. However, the disaster area has still not been officially announced in the Government Gazette.

She says that a disaster proclamation should make it easier for those who have been hit hardest to receive help. “AfriForum is concerned that if the disaster area is not officially announced in the Government Gazette with the accompanying regulations, this will lead to more uncertainty in the community. “If this municipality has access to more money that are supposed to bring relief in the disaster area and it is not properly regulated, the community will continue to suffer,” she says.

Also read: The community of Phalaborwa comes together after fire

AfriForum had a meeting with the Phalaborwa community and other organisations after the fire. “During this meeting, the community highlighted two major concerns, low water supply and pressure, as well as overgrown vegetation.” Cooks believes that if the water level and pressure were sufficient on the day of the fire, some of the homes could have been saved as the fire could have been extinguished faster. She adds that in order to prevent another fire, the municipality needs to prune vegetation.

BPM spokesman, Jonas Mahesu, told the Herald that, the council took a decision to declare the town a disaster zone. Their recommendations were elevated to the Mopani District Municipality (MDM) and the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (CoGSTHA). “As the local municipality, we can declare the area a disaster zone, but MDM and CoGSTHA have to make the final decision.”

He says the issue of water pressure, only occurs when the water level in the reservoirs drops and the pressure to households subsequently drops. Mahesu further says that the issue of overgrown vegetation is the responsibility of the Parks and Cemetery Department which falls under the Community Services Department. He says they are working to address the problem. Civil society from all over Limpopo has however stepped in and donated food, water, clothing, and even furniture to the affected families.