Kamogelo Seekoei

Kamogelo Seekoei

Families and survivors of the inferno that ravaged a part of Alexandra in Johannesburg braved the cold yesterday and started rebuilding their homes.

The fire killed three people on Sunday and left 72 families homeless.

With just shells of what used to be their homes, the men and women had started knocking into the ground the poles to support new shacks.

The process was repeating itself yet again.

After the fire many people did not know where they were going to sleep.

They had lost all their furniture, clothes, and even their food.

Dipuo Khonoti, of the Alexandra Women's Brigade, said people had to rebuild their homes where they were situated before because there was nowhere else for them to go.

Khonoti said they could not build on Sunday after the fire because the Alexandra Renewal Project had not delivered the material as promised.

She said it was tough because the ground was wet but there was no other alternative.

"The only consolation is that companies have been donating foodstuffs to the families," she said.

One of the victim's relatives said he was struggling to put money together to ship his brother's body to Zimbabwe.

Petros Malinga said they had been getting quotations from different undertakers to transport Doctor Malinga's body.

"But we are struggling to put money together. I think we will leave next week to go and bury him," he said.