Slovo Park begins to rebuild

The Slovo Park community is slowly rebuilding after an explosion rocked the area on July 4. The Springs Advertiser reported that the cause of the was bombs/explosives hidden by illegal miners in the home they rented.

Ward Clr Charmaine Kock called the incident a tragedy and expressed relief that there were no fatalities. She said seeing residents rummage through the aftermath, trying to find and save their belongings, was difficult, and confirmed that an illegal immigrant was renting from the homeowner.

Kock said that from the day of the incident, she had contacted local businesses and reached out to the community to assist with clothing, blanketing and food for those who had been affected.

She said a church offered accommodation to those affected, but residents chose not to use it, fearing that what was left would be stolen.

“By Saturday, a central kitchen had been established to cook for the 30 or so people affected. Clothing, blankets and food have been delivered every day to the central distribution point,” said Kock.

Kock added that several NGOs were allocated a specific day to cater food. It worked well because residents controlled it and ensured the residents affected benefited from the donations.

She said local businesses had responded well to her plea to help, with 100 bags of cement, bricks, sand, and IBR sheeting to aid those worst affected.

“Our main goal is to provide temporary shelters to those affected directly until the Human Settlement Department has finished its processes and investigation.

“Four homes were totally destroyed and nine have very bad structural damage and were declared unsafe. Twenty-nine homes have damage to the roofs, and windows need to be replaced,” said Kock.

Kockm thanked everyone who had contributed and responded to her plea for help.