Khayelitsha shack fire claims lives of young couple

MYSTERY still shrouds the cause of the fire that claimed the lives of a Khayelitsha couple in Monwabisi Park informal settlement on Tuesday.

Nolufefe Mambikimba, 40, and her boyfriend were asleep in their shack when their home caught fire. Her heartbroken aunt, Xoliswa Mambikimba, said she received the devastating news from her sister, who lived with Nolufefe.

“She informed me of the incident,” she said.

Xoliswa described her niece as a lively and kind person.

“She was a nice person who loved jokes and was playful.”

Ward 99 councillor Lonwabo Mqina expressed anger at the conditions in Monwabisi Park, blaming underdevelopment and lack of access roads for the tragedy.

“We are here after the shack caught fire yesterday, and two people have lost their lives. This is a situation that we find in our communities. More and more people are subjected to this because of the new infrastructure, insofar as housing development is concerned, as well as far as access roads are concerned.

“At times, emergency services cannot access these areas to extinguish fires because of lack of access to these houses. We are shocked that something of this nature still happens in our community.

“Thirty years down the line, in fact, this informal settlement is almost a decade old because Monwabisi Park was established in 1997. So definitely, the state of Cape Town has neglected this area insofar as development is concerned. Hence, we are subjected to incidents of this nature more often. There is seemingly no political will from the government of the day in the state of Cape Town to assist this community or to develop this community. There are disasters; when it's summer, it's fires, when it's winter, it's floods. That is the situation that we are faced with.”

The City’s Fire and Rescue Service said its crews from Khayelitsha and Macassar responded after receiving a call at around 00:30am about informal structures burning on the corner of Steve Biko and Swartklip roads.

“Two structures were destroyed and an adult male sustained fatal burn wounds,” said spokesperson Jermaine Carelse. “Further information should be requested from the South African Police Service.”

Initially, the man’s body was discovered first, followed by Nolufefe’s body found in the debris.

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said Harare police had registered an inquest into the incident.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined,” he said.

Anyone with information about the fire can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile app.

Cape Times