Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, has expressed her heartfelt condolences to the families of the two individuals who tragically lost their lives in the fire that engulfed the New Rest-Egoli informal settlement in the Western Cape on Monday morning.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry announced that a dedicated team for Emergency Housing is already on-site, working to provide assistance to those left homeless by this tragic incident.
Mop-up operations started on Monday. Those who were left destitute were accommodated in nearby households and NGOs.
As of February 14 this year, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group reports that a total of 327 informal structures have been destroyed by fires across South Africa, with 280 of these incidents occurring in the Western Cape
The Department of Human Settlements said it will cost over R99 million in financial interventions and this will include the acquisition of new building materials for the 5,454 households countrywide.
The government is currently verifying the number of structures destroyed and the individuals left without shelter.
The Drakenstein Local Municipality has informed the National Department of Human Settlements that approximately 200 informal structures may have been affected by the blaze. This figure contrasts with the compiled list of individuals who have come forward, which indicates that a total of 360 structures have been impacted.
Simelane has applauded community members who are housing the fire victims and NGOs that have provided humanitarian aid.
The department said they urged their team and other stakeholders to speed up the process of getting assistance to the affected households.
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