Hillview residents who had a bleak Christmas after their shacks were destroyed in a horrific blaze can now start rebuilding their homes after receiving materials.
While the cause of the fire remains unknown, more than 100 mense were left destitute on 24 December.
Residents received a surprise visit from the City of Cape Town workers along with the Gift of the Givers who donated school supplies.
Community leader Aysha Davids said they were devastated to hear that the local government no longer supplies starter kits to fire victims, but officials from the national Human Settlements department arrived late on Tuesday to hand over kits.
Aysha says: “We spoke to the national [Human Settlements] office and they promised us they would bring the building material and, yesterday, they did.
“Some people managed to rebuild with the old iron sheets because they had nowhere to go. We are grateful that the people have what they need.”
Mayco member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim, says they collaborated with Gift of the Givers to provide essential assistance to school learners and their families affected by the devastating fire that swept through the Hillview informal settlement, near Muizenberg, in late December.
Pophaim adds: “In this joint initiative, the aid is timely as the school year begins, offering support to those directly impacted by the recent tragedy.
“Yesterday’s partnership with Gift of the Givers is a testament to our commitment to the well-being of our communities. In the face of adversity, we stand united to bring hope and support to those affected by the Hillview fire.”
Pophaim also emphasised the crucial need for direct access to disaster funding for effective emergency response and mitigation.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay says when they visited the disaster site and did their assessments, the parents were concerned about school uniforms and stationery, as many couldn’t afford to buy new items.
Ali says: “Children either use uniforms from two to three years ago, or parents save for months to buy and those fires in Hillview and Jim se Bos parents informed us they had already purchased the school supplies and it was painful to hear that.
“As part of our Back to School programme, we made these two places our priority where we decided to assist each and every fire victim with a uniform, which was proudly sponsored by Jet and we are going to visit other areas.”
Fire victim Michelle de Wet says they are glad that they got help.
Michelle says: “We have about 70 children who were affected.
“We are now going to be accommodated, people have been sleeping outside for about a month and with all this wind.
“I would like to thank the people who were involved, including our councillor Mandy Marr.”
Pophaim emphasises the crucial need for direct access to disaster funding for effective emergency response and mitigation.