Masiphumelele
Masiphumelele fire victims protest, demand electricity in temporary homes
Scores of fire victims took to the streets on Thursday to voice their dissatisfaction about poor service delivery and a lack of adequate housing.
Masiphumelele residents are no longer interested in politicians and their promises as South Africa prepares for the local government elections. More than 6,000 people were left homeless and others placed in temporary tin houses after a fire ravaged 1,000 homes in December last year. The residents Eyewitness News spoke to said that the government had failed them because they were still in a desperate situation, 10 months later.
Last December, a massive fire ripped through the area, leaving hundreds of people homeless but months after the fire, no work has been done on the site that's said to be earmarked for permanent housing.
The storm has subsided and weather will clear up over the weekend.
In December last year, a massive fire ripped through an informal settlement leaving hundreds of people homeless.
City vehicles were stoned and damaged, tyres and bins were set alight and used to block the roads on Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Authorities have been building temporary homes for the affected people after a fire ravaged over 1,000 homes just days before Christmas last year. Community leaders said that young people were against the new development as it was built on the only sports field in the area.
About 350 temporary structures were torched on Friday night, allegedly by protesters who are against the development.
The homes were built after a massive blaze razed more than a thousand shacks just days before Christmas, leaving thousands homeless.
Only 400 of these units have been erected on the site where a devastating fire destroyed about 1,100 shacks in December and further units are meant to go up on the sports field but there have been objections.
Roads in the vicinity were obstructed on Friday night after demonstrators took to the streets and burnt tyres during a housing protest.
More than 1,000 homes were destroyed in the fire, leaving over 4,000 people homeless.
The rebuilding of homes commenced two weeks ago, after a fire ravaged the area just days before Christmas.
MMC for housing Malusi Booi said the current timeline for completion of temporary structures was between June and August - not April as officials had initially said.
National government availed about R35 million to ensure residents have a roof over their heads and at least 30 temporary homes are expected to be built every day.
The iron sheets will be taken to a scrapyard in Epping where in return the men will receive money for it.
Thousands of locals are still sleeping out in the open or staying with friends or family weeks after a fire tore through the area.
"There are people that gave us some places to sleep. But others sleep here, in this road."
Just before Christmas, a massive fire ripped through parts of the informal settlement, destroying more than 1,300 dwellings and displacing more than 6,000 people.