The sound of a hammers knocking nails into wood echoed through Mandela Park on Monday as destitute residents worked to rebuild their lives after a fire ripped through the settlement.
At least 15 000 people were affected when 3 500 homes were reduced to ashes in Hout Bay‚ Cape Town‚ over the weekend.
Siphelo Dikelo‚ 33‚ was left without a home.
Sitting on chair where his house used to be‚ a tired Dikelo‚ who has been working around the clock to rebuild the home he shared with his wife and two children‚ said: “We lost everything‚ everything‚ everything“.
Dikelo said when he saw the fire approaching his house‚ he grabbed as much as he could and stored it at a friend’s house‚ but that house also caught alight.
“Even the children’s school uniforms are gone.”
With the few remaining structures full‚ the family has had to sleep on the spot where their home once stood‚ with only a burnt roof sheet for cover.
The smell of charred material lingers in the air and smoke can still be seen coming from the rubble.
The area resembles a construction site‚ as rafters and cement bags are carried to plots and workers in blue overalls and safety helmets rebuild homes.
“There is a problem with the building material. There is not enough for everybody and it is expensive. They [shop owners] know people are desperate. Now they charge extra‚” Dikelo said.
Sisonke Manqunyana‚ 21‚ works as a shop assistant but had to take the day off after the house she shares with her mom and three others burned to ashes. She said her mother was alone in the house when the fire approached at 5am on Saturday‚ and was awoken by neighbours screaming. The entire street was destroyed.
“People started to get things out of the house but it was too late‚” Manqunyana said.
The Hout Bay community has opened its hearts to those affected by the blaze‚ with a donation drop-off point set up at Ambleside Primary School.
One of the organisers‚ Frederique Veldhuis‚ said: “We live here‚ this is the least we can do. We can’t just sit and see what is going on and do nothing“.
Cape fires: Exhausted survivors work round the clock to rebuild homes
The sound of a hammers knocking nails into wood echoed through Mandela Park on Monday as destitute residents worked to rebuild their lives after a fire ripped through the settlement.
At least 15 000 people were affected when 3 500 homes were reduced to ashes in Hout Bay‚ Cape Town‚ over the weekend.
Siphelo Dikelo‚ 33‚ was left without a home.
Sitting on chair where his house used to be‚ a tired Dikelo‚ who has been working around the clock to rebuild the home he shared with his wife and two children‚ said: “We lost everything‚ everything‚ everything“.
Dikelo said when he saw the fire approaching his house‚ he grabbed as much as he could and stored it at a friend’s house‚ but that house also caught alight.
“Even the children’s school uniforms are gone.”
With the few remaining structures full‚ the family has had to sleep on the spot where their home once stood‚ with only a burnt roof sheet for cover.
The smell of charred material lingers in the air and smoke can still be seen coming from the rubble.
The area resembles a construction site‚ as rafters and cement bags are carried to plots and workers in blue overalls and safety helmets rebuild homes.
“There is a problem with the building material. There is not enough for everybody and it is expensive. They [shop owners] know people are desperate. Now they charge extra‚” Dikelo said.
Sisonke Manqunyana‚ 21‚ works as a shop assistant but had to take the day off after the house she shares with her mom and three others burned to ashes. She said her mother was alone in the house when the fire approached at 5am on Saturday‚ and was awoken by neighbours screaming. The entire street was destroyed.
“People started to get things out of the house but it was too late‚” Manqunyana said.
The Hout Bay community has opened its hearts to those affected by the blaze‚ with a donation drop-off point set up at Ambleside Primary School.
One of the organisers‚ Frederique Veldhuis‚ said: “We live here‚ this is the least we can do. We can’t just sit and see what is going on and do nothing“.
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