East London man dies as shacks gutted

A Duncan Village man died in a blaze which gutted nine shacks in the early hours of this morning and left the remaining 18 residents with nothing other than the clothing on their backs.

East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said: “No one knows the cause of the fire. It started in one shack before spreading to more neighbouring shacks.”

 A community leader‚ who spoke to DispatchLIVE‚ believed the fire might have been started by the izinyoka [illegal electricity].

 The poverty-stricken informal settlement area is riddled with uncovered live wires.

The deceased‚ Patrick Mandla-Miki‚ 52‚ was described by his neighbours as a “very nice man who never bothered anyone“.

 His family members did not want to comment on their loss.

Duncan Village police have opened an inquest docket into the death of the man believed to have died in a shack fire.