JUST hours after a fire ripped through the Malacca Road Informal Settlement, local residents and organisations stepped forward to help the families affected by the blaze. The fire, which destroyed ten shacks, is believed to have started due to an unattended stove. Eric Mjaja, chairperson of the Malacca Road Informal Settlement committee, described the panic when they realised a fire had started.

“It was close to 6pm when I saw smoke pouring out of one of the shacks. As I got closer I noticed the flames under the door. A few of the residents tried to get into the house to put out the flames but the door to the shack was locked. There were a few moments of panic, and there were lots of people screaming. I remember seeing residents running from their homes, grabbing what little they could. We moved the women and children further back to a safe distance away from the fire. Many of us have lost just about everything,” Mjaja said.

The quick response from the fire department stopped the blaze from spreading and brought the situation under control within half an hour.

Mjaja said, despite the sombre mood around the camp, the residents were buoyed by the response from the community.

“The response from the community has been fantastic. To know there’s so much support and love out there for us is very special. The Rivers Church donated 60 wooden poles and 128 sheets of tin, which have been instrumental in helping us rebuild the destroyed homes. The Durban North/Umhlanga Crisis Team have also come every day with food for the residents, which has been a great help. I’d like to thank all those who have opened their hearts and donated blankets, clothes and other items,” he said.

Six of the informal dwellings have already been rebuilt. Mjaja said they welcomed any other donations, and said at the moment they needed nails and strong planks to build roofs for the shacks.

uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, echoed Mjaja’s sentiments by saying the response from the community had been ‘a blessing to the residents of Malacca Road’.

“The support and assistance shown by the North Durban community at large has really been a blessing to the Malacca residents, some of whom were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The fire department was still damping down the flames when donations started coming in,” he explained.

De Boer also commended the Metro Fire Unit, Rivers Church, Durban North/Umhlanga Crisis Team, The Newlands Angels and Wentworth Angels, as well as the Glen Anil, Glenhills and Greenwood Park communities, which also donated many items of food and clothes.

“I was also extremely impressed with the swift assistance of the municipal Roads and Stormwater Department, who called in teams of workers and made a TLB bulldozer and truck available to help clear the rubble,” he said.

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