Residents at the Cemetery View informal settlement are struggling to recover from a fire that broke out on in the early hours of last Monday morning.

The fire, which was the biggest to affect the informal settlement, broke out around midnight while residents were asleep, claiming one life and burning close to 400 shacks leaving 840 residents homeless.

According to emergency services, the flames were about 20m high. “It was the worst we have ever seen,” said 32-year-old resident Energy Khumbula.

“The flames were so high, we couldn’t risk trying to save our stuff.”

Khumbula said he only worried about keeping his family safe while he witnessed how his fellow residents scrambled around and screamed through the chaos.

The family lost everything in the fire including important documents and baby clothes.

“What I am wearing now is what I managed to get from donations. These are the only clothes I have right now.

“The baby has no clothes at all.”

Mothibe told Rekord that she has been struggling to rebuild her shack as she did not have any building material.

“We ran to a nearby veld and watched firefighters battle the blaze. We watched our homes burn.

“That fire left us with nothing. When it was done, there was nothing, it was as if no homes ever existed,” she said.

“We had nowhere to go. We slept on the ground… women, men and children together.”

Fidas Moyo lost his cousin after he sustained burn wounds in the fire.

A distraught Moyo, told Rekord that his cousin was trapped inside his shack and was screaming for help.

When he eventually got out of his shack, the injured man was placed on blankets and carried to the entrance of the settlement.

“I was with him while we waited for help to arrive. He was in so much pain,” he said.

“He succumbed to his injuries while in hospital.”

Neighbours are still trying to recover from the loss of life.

“I can still hear his voice.”

Tshwane emergency services spokesperson, Charles Mabaso said multiple explosions of what was thought to be gas cylinder bottles could be heard during fire-fighting operations.

He said firefighters managed to contain the blaze at around 01:38 and only fully extinguished the fire around 03:30.

“The cause of the fire is suspected to be a paraffin stove, but could not be conclusively determined,” he said.

The informal settlement situated in Garsfontein, near the Living Word church has been prone to fires over the years.

Its sister settlement known as Plastic View near the Moreleta Park NG church, has also been experiencing fires that left people homeless and injured.

The two informal settlements have since 2016 each experienced a fire at least once a year especially in the winter season.

In 2018, the settlements experienced three fires between them, in just a space of a week.

Rekord observed how men were still trying to rebuilt their homes almost a week later, with sticks, plastic and rocks.

The Tshwane metro had plans underway to relocate residents of these settlements.

The Pretorius Park extension 40 township would house people from the two informal settlements after the Pretoria high court ordered the metro in 2019 to relocate or regulate these settlements.

Indications are, however, that most residents will remain at the settlement because they are undocumented immigrants and thus do not qualify for government housing aid in terms of the Housing Act, Act 107 of 1997.

Only 151 families qualify to move to the planned township.