Deadly blaze reignites Shaka’s Head informal settlement relocation debate

Security measures meant to protect a family turned deadly in the early hours of Saturday morning, trapping two teenagers and three children inside a burning shack in the Ekuphumuleni informal settlement in Shaka’s Head.

The dead include young mother Asamkele Somtsewu (19) and her one-year-old twins Sokhula and Solulele Somtsewu, fourteen-year old Sonwabise Noyila and three-year-old Amila Menemene.

Their father, Sivuyile Noyila, said the tragedy followed a jovial evening of watching soccer and playing pool with family and friends. A section of the shack had been converted into an entertainment venue with a pool table and television.

Noyila closed the house at 3.30am and went to sleep in a back room with his wife, Ntombovuyo Menemene. They were woken shortly afterwards by their eldest daughter, Asamkele, screaming for help.

Neighbours tried to break through shutterboard walls and two external wooden security gates to reach the children. Ntombovuyo managed to save her two-year-old daughter, Yana, by pulling her through the steel bars of a locked internal security gate separating the sleeping area from the entertainment section. Ntombovuyo was badly burned, while Yana suffered smoke inhalation.

Family spokesperson Eric Macolana said residents relied on buckets of water to fight the blaze, as the nearby standpipe was dry.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi and KwaDukuza mayor Siduduzo Gumede visited the family on Sunday.

Buthelezi confirmed the provincial government would cover funeral costs, including transporting the deceased to their hometown of Port St Johns. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Buthelezi said the informal settlement was established through land invasion on property earmarked for a high school and clinic. He added that electricity connections in the area are illegal.

The Courier previously reported that shacks were first erected there in March 2020 during Level 5 of the Covid lockdown. The settlement has since grown to about 3 000 residents.

As a short-term measure, the provincial disaster management centre will install smoke detector alarms in each dwelling while permanent housing plans are pursued.

Gumede said the municipality is currently engaged in a court process regarding a proposal to relocate the community to serviced land at Vlakspruit. The community has objected, citing its distance from Ballito.

“We have to conclude this matter quickly, or we will continue to see incidents like this,” said Gumede.

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